Do you think ...

... most humans are compassionate towards others?

Yes....but I can sure see a difference in different parts of the US in the way they show it

in my opinion, compassionate humans are lacking.
I often find myself banging my head against a brick wall wondering how on earth people can treat others feelings/ lifestyles so badly.

not everyone, their are a lot of good people in the world

but not as many as their should be

I used to think so but now in a me-first culture where people would rather record a fight so it can go viral instead of intervene or bully someone i am not so sure.

I work retail and right now people are so stressed out and irritable that a great many are lashing out. They seem not to care in the least how they behave. I have witnessed terrible behavior to those I work with and been on the receiving end myself. This disgusts me that people have not the least bit of compassion. It also is repugnant that others simply stand on the sideline trying to ignore the bullying, threats, ranting and raving, and outright screaming. Surely they realise that such behaviour is wrong yet they stand silently by and witness it. If it were I, I would step in at the defense of the person being victimised. That would be the compassionate thing to do.

With apologies to some of you south of my border, I routinely observe numerous incidents of lack of compassion towards one's fellow persons. Constantly I am shaking my head at the complete lack of equality exhibited over and over again - much of it set by example by a certain prominent political figure. He, as we outside of the country observe, seems to have set the (low) standard for how people should behave to others with whom they have a difference. It is bloody awful to see frankly. Compassion ought to be the standard of behaviour and it is frustrating to no end to see it lacking.

I think it’s a function of the state of ones society. In a survivalist, dog eat dog, competitive environment, compassion will be limited to immediate family and friends or maybe extended to those who are banded together. Otherwise I think people are compassionate towards those who exhibit compassion towards them. If they are physically capable of compassion that is. 😁

At one point in my life I had compassion but I no longer do. I have been on the other end of one too many person either lying to me about their troubles or legit not able to see they are exaggerating.

I would say I have about 4% of all the compassion I was born with in the world.

Also I agree there are areas where there is more compassion. I live in a place with little.

I agree. I only help those that I know because like you, I have had very negative experiences with those I have tried to help that I did not know well. Also, I was raised that at all costs, if you possibly can, don't ask for/expect help unless you have exhausted all possible avenues. Also, I realize that people fall on legitimate hard times,(job loss, house fire, accident, etc) but if you don't have your basic, everyday life together after the age of 30, the fault is yours. Our older friend who used to be a cop is constantly giving, giving, giving to people and getting mostly nothing in return but screwed. In my opinion, he should know better and I tell him so. Am I a hard ***? Yes, but no one is into me for money, and I have not been stolen from because I avoid the riff-raff.

I had to learn to help without enabling.

But you don't have to give something (materialistic) to someone to be compassionate. I think it's about how you react to things, like people's posts here, for example, or when you read the news about some unfortunate people. It's about how you speak with everyone. What words you use. If you don't care to hurt people and care to be right only, or if you care about both, even if don't know them. If you are judgmental inside yourself, regardless of what your mouth says. If you feel people's suffering even when they don't talk about it or show it. Things like this.

I think that all humans are self serving in nature and only show compassion when it benefits them.

For example, somebody who is religious would show compassion only because they either want to go to heaven or are afraid of going to hell, a financially successful person will show compassion either to look good to society or to use the person they showed compassion to later own, an average person would show compassion only to feel good about themselves... ECT. I don't believe a selfless human exists.

After all, a lion is capable of showing compassion to it's prey when it isn't hungry. When it is hungry it will turn on it's prey to survive another day. A human isn't much different.

@Darkness....what about friends helping friends? I try to put myself in the other persons shoes. I have "put myself out" as it were, for friends....My best friend needed help once when we were teenagers and I broke a date to help her. You truly are DARK, aren't you? LOL!!

If you lost your friend, it would hurt, wouldn't it? Not helping your friends increases the chance they will not want to be your friend anymore.

Then again, I'm merely stating my experience with humans in general, nothing more. I eagerly await somebody to prove me wrong though

I question the percentage of the good and the bad people. The bad people sure know how to put on a show, me-me-me, bring everyone down or go out of their way to hurt people and then complain no one appreciates them or cares about them for the sake of wanting attention. Yes, there are a lot of bad seeds in the world, and they don't have to be murderers or the like to be bad people, not all bad people are evil, but bad people enjoy hurting others, being negative, bringing others down as a form of entertainment. I say the truly good people are humble, they don't need everyone on social media and beyond to prove or know they are good people. It may seem there are more bad people, but good people treat other's right without expecting anything in return. I feel there are more good people than bad, but the bad people bring more attention to themselves when most people do good and not expect a viral video out of it.

I felt that didn't make sense at all......

Let me try again...

I think there are more good people than bad. Period.

...better?

Here, I'll try to make more sense...

Good people are humble, they don't actively seek out recognition for every good deed they do. Yes, we good people like to be appreciated and sometimes we feel bad when we don't, but most people...and I feel most people are good...have good intentions, do not actively seek out to hurt feelings, think of others before themselves, sometimes we go out of our way to be nice, but often times we do it because either we want or expect others to do the same in return...Everyone has bad days, and if we hurt people often times we'll feel bad about it and do something to make it right.

I personally do not understand the logic of people who are bad, people who go out of their way to hurt people or bring others down. I have a bad habit of assuming most people are good, and I don't like watching the news because I hate hearing about how bad some people can be, and it's always shocking to me when something goes viral about someone screaming at people in public, even moreso if they have kids. Oddly enough, it doesn't shock me to see people hitting or killing people, but I get so shocked if I see a viral video of some parent screaming at some poor cashier or some random shopper and they have their little kids tagging along. I'll see it in public too, there's always some Mom being an A-hole to some poor cashier with their kids right there and I think, "THAT'S the example you want to set for your kid?"

I think the most shocking of all is when I see bad behavior from people my own age...AKA the teens and 20s being shockingly rude and arrogant to someone just trying to do their job...like...who raised you? Who made you think this was acceptable to act like this in public? It's just awful.

I hate bad and rude and mean behavior from people, particularly out in public. If it's online, yeah, you can just say they're a troll. Or fist fights, you can blame on drugs and alcohol...but rudeness and anger and spite and meanness? That's inherited, influenced, but from what and whom? Is the media to blame from such awful behavior where people scream at each other or at poor workers and it goes viral? It's really sickening to see this behavior get circulated around the internet...does it really make people think this is acceptable if it means 15 minutes of fame?

I just don't understand how people can be so cruel. I've always been a "pay-it-forward" person...I always keep a bag of kindness tokens in my purse for when I come across someone who goes out of their way to be nice. The people I've given it to have the biggest smiles and it really touches them. Now I go out of my way to be courteous to cashiers and waitresses, heck, I've struck up conversations with the people who pump my gas. I've found if I engage with people outside of the "how are you doing?" I see them relax and I can tell they see I'm not just some A-hole customer, I'm genuinely asking about their day and how their shift is going, or we'll talk about something fun and it takes their mind off the stress of work.

Some say kindness is a hard concept, I just see more benefits with being kind to people.

I help people who are in need of help. People I don't even know & have ZERO expectations of anything in return. It just makes me feel good to know I have done something to help someone.

My truck gives me the ability to give more help also. I have loaded more things into it & taken people & their loads home for them when I saw them struggling. I have always stopped to see if people need help. It is JUST WHO I AM.

I don't know the answer, Sans Nom. But I do believe good people will continue to exist, like the ones here on PC. Sending many hugs to everyone

LOL!! I think you're pretty cool.......negative and dark, but cool. Like my buddy at work. I am always trying to "happy" him into total frustration....

I do admit I am trying to work on the negativity.

My experiences in my life have shaped me I don't mean to be this way.

Try not to be so hard on yourself. I am sure you are pretty ok in the long run....

It probably depend on what day you asked me if I think most people are compassionate or not. As some others said I prefer to believe positive things about people. I might be completely and utterly wrong, but it makes my life more pleasant that thinking the worst of others.

Gonna agree 110% with Eskie about doing kind things for others. I don't expect anything in return. I do it because it's part of who I am. Someone mentioned "pay it forward." I was doing that before I ever heard the phrase.