Compassion vs. empathy

People often confuse compassion and empathy. The difference is explained in this illustration, from the Dalai Lama.

Imagine hiking on a mountain trail, where you come across a person being crushed by a boulder.

A purely empathetic response would be to feel that same sense of crushing suffocation, but not do anything about it.

A compassionate response would be to recognize their pain, and do everything you can to remove the boulder.

Compassion is empathy plus action.

There is a time and a place for both.