Recently, I shared my thoughts on compassion. More specifically, on how irritated I get when Republicans are portrayed as the party lacking compassion while the Democrats have it in spades. Their definition of compassion, however, is this: taking money from their neighbors and giving it to people they perceive to be in need.

As I pointed out, that’s not compassion. And it’s certainly not always good policy. It’s egotistical and prideful (the do-gooder probably feels very virtuous).

They don’t like us, they really don’t like us.

To illustrate this point, let me use an example involving a pet peeve of mine: drivers who wave on left-turners while a long line of cars remain backed up behind this so-called “do-gooder.”

“Good Sam” arrives at a red light. Numerous drivers behind him wait patiently with him for the light to turn green. Across the road, an oncoming driver signals he wants to make a left. The light turns green. Instead of proceeding through the intersection, Good Sam smiles and cheerfully waves on the oncoming left turner. Left turner eventually gets the message and creeps through the turn. Good Sam goes on his merry way. The light turns red again, and the poor drivers behind Good Sam have to wait through another cycle.

Now, chances are that Good Sam feels awfully satisfied as he tootles down the road. He helped a stranger! He “paid it forward.” He perpetrated a “random act of kindness.” He’ll probably glow all day with inner sanctimony. But for all he knows, the left-turner could have been a drug dealer on his way to a score and the driver in back of him who then had to wait through another light cycle could have been a mother rushing her sick child to the doctor. Good Sam’s “act of compassion” was therefore an act of egotism, whose “good” result was making Sam feel good about himself. Continue reading →