An Ounce of Compassion

It happens more than you’d think. Someone goes through an unexplained trial — a sickness, a wayward child, a job loss, or some other hardship — and the response is judgment or silence.

On one level, I understand. We don’t always know how to respond to the trials of others. Sometimes, not knowing all the circumstances, we wonder if the person may have contributed to their own misfortune. We’re all wired differently, and some of us naturally show compassion, while others struggle to know how to...