Modern civilization is rooted in centuries of philosophical thought. The teachings of Buddha, Confucius, Mahavir, and the Chandogya Upanishad to the humanist scholars during the Renaissance, upheld compassion as a core virtue. Thinkers like Hume and Schopenhauer later affirmed it as the foundation of morality. Compassion and empathy have thus elevated human consciousness through the later centuries.
Humans have inherited a rich tradition where compassion is central to thought and learning. Yet today, these ideals are mostly studied academically—for dissertations, interviews, or examinations—rather than embraced as guiding values. In schools and colleges, virtues such as empathy are rarely discussed as lived practices. No student is ever asked: Are you practicing compassion? Such a question seems out of place, as if compassion were a private matter of no social consequence.
The Problem of Attitudes
While technology has advanced at lightning speed, our social behavior lags behind. Self-interest often takes precedence: me first, then maybe others. At the root of this is competition—not against our own past records, but against the records of others. Instead of striving for self-improvement, we reduce every other person with similar aspirations to a rival.
This lack of compassion is reflected in society’s structures. True equality—where everyone gets an equal chance to realize their potential—would unlock immense human productivity. Instead, cliques and cartels ensure that privilege circulates within narrow circles. Fairness becomes a façade; “open competition” is often anything but open.
Injustice and Hypocrisy
The hypocrisy of our age is glaring. We proclaim our commitment to a just society while allowing gross indignities to persist. Even today, in the 21st century, people die of asphyxiation while manually cleaning sewers—work forced upon them by necessity, with meagre pay and without dignity. Those who clean our filth are themselves(including their children) treated as less than human, denied the rights enjoyed by the privileged.
Is this compassion—or pity masquerading as compassion? True compassion cannot rest on a hierarchy of giver and receiver. Pity degrades the soul, stripping away dignity and self-respect. For how long must the marginalized depend on kindness rather than enjoy enforceable rights? Why is justice still denied to those who cannot afford it? And why does economic status dictate whose grievances the courts will hear?
Humanist Traditions Forgotten
The great documents of civilization—the Rights of Citizens, the Bill of Rights, the Fundamental Rights—were inspired by humanism: the conviction that every person matters. Every living being matters. Yet over time, these principles have been buried under neglect, hypocrisy, and indifference.
Meanwhile, the brutalities of history—whether unleashed by Attila the Hun, Timur, Genghis Khan, Hitler, or Stalin—are not behind us. Their modern counterparts commit atrocities behind euphemisms, sanitizing cruelty so that public conscience remains numb
The Dream of Compassion
Fairy tales comfort us with visions of just worlds. To even imagine a society governed by genuine concern for others is intoxicating. For a moment, we allow ourselves to believe in its possibility. Yet reality shakes us awake: violence, prejudice, casteism, sexism, racism, political carnage, domestic abuse, and bullying all remain entrenched.
The Neanderthal in us is not gone—it resurfaces in new forms, more sophisticated and more dangerous. Until compassion becomes not an occasional virtue but the foundation of social life, the dream of a truly humane society will remain unrealized.
The dream of a society where every living being is treated with compassion may seem an unrealisable dream today. But let us think back. Once humans imagined a time when he would fly high like the birds. Today flight is a reality. Once Humans wondered if it would be possible to speak to people directly across the seas. Toady we do it all the time. And so on. Those achievements were technology based. What we are dreaming here is a transformation on the very thought and attitude of human beings. That is the challenge. We live in a globalised world. I would like to conclude on a positive note. Possibly at some future date, humans of a later era may be irked to know that in our society, only few enjoyed the full benefit of development. That not everybody had the right to live life fully on their own terms. So, we move towards that el dorado..
The Momma Clan 
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