Henryk SienkiewiczNevertheless, in this sea of human wretchedness and malice there bloomed at times compassion, as a pale flower blooms in a putrid marsh.
About This Quote
Recent studies have shown that the human brain is capable of "empathy" - the ability to feel what another person feels, even when you can't see their suffering. This has been demonstrated when people look at images of suffering (such as victims in a car accident) and feel an urge to help. It has been argued that this is a natural response that rises above our conscious awareness and becomes the basis of our moral behavior. The problem with this argument is that we tend to be much less sympathetic in certain situations: for instance, when we're in pain ourselves, and when we're suffering from bad intentions.
Source: In Desert And Wilderness
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