But don’t we have enough pain of our own without taking on the pain of others? Herein lies a grand illusion, for there is no such thing as “pain of our own.” The only private pain is the pain of isolation, which is hell. All other suffering is communal. Like love it can only be shared. If we are to share people’s joys we must also share their sorrows. Shrinking from sorrow, we shrink from joy as well.
