So does the observance of these principles, tenets and laws make societies, and the individuals within them, compassionate?
Not necessarily. They clearly assist, but to be compassionate, a person, and indeed a society, need to act. This can be in signature and sometimes even heroic ways. But it can also involve less remarkable responses.
People will usually go out of their way to help others.Credit: Think Stock
And at this level, there is considerable cause for optimism. Humans are ever ready, it would appear, to undertake simple, undramatic compassionate acts. One important 2023 study by Giovanni Rossi and colleagues of more than 300 people across eight cultures found that when people have the chance to help others, and not just family members, βthey will usually do soβ.
Instinctively, we know this to be true. We can all think of the small ways in which people have helped us, or vice versa, expecting nothing in return. So the inclination towards compassion is there. We just need to ensure that nothing else β including our own fear β gets in the way.
