In the comments to Fallout Around the Breakfast Table many used the word condelences and I also wrote a comentary but then when I had to find a reference I slipped the mouse and deleted the whole page with the comment and so on, so now I make it shorter and very different. During writing I found out that the two words condolences and compassion are related.
The Living Webster Dictionary of the English Language (1974) writes that 'condolences' meaning 'the act of condoling, expression of grief at another's grief' is derived from condole, which again is form Latin 'con' meaning 'with' and 'doleo' meaning 'to grieve'.
About the word compassion they translate it as 'a sympathetic emotion created by the misfortunes of another, accompanied by a desire to help; pity; mercy. Compassion is from Latin 'compati' 'to suffer with'.
In the original rootmeanings 'to grieve with' and 'to suffer with', there is an aspect of 'putting oneself in someone elses shoes', therefore an important word in both compassion and condolences is 'com/con' is 'with' which is the word that denotes connecting to the experience of another whether it is 'grief' or 'suffering'.
For me to feel condolences in relation to Laura, the team in the Chateau and the neighbour I had to let the thoughts travel and recall a couple of incidents in February where two people I knew left within two days independent of each other and on the average 40 years too early. On the occation of the funeral of my classmate I noticed that seeing other people cry affected me too as if instinctively even though I did not cry. There is a saying around here that grief is contagious. I believe now it is true but everyone is different so there must also be many levels of condoling and for that matter compassion, and at this point I begin to think of the emotional centers lower and higher.
The Living Webster Dictionary of the English Language (1974) writes that 'condolences' meaning 'the act of condoling, expression of grief at another's grief' is derived from condole, which again is form Latin 'con' meaning 'with' and 'doleo' meaning 'to grieve'.
About the word compassion they translate it as 'a sympathetic emotion created by the misfortunes of another, accompanied by a desire to help; pity; mercy. Compassion is from Latin 'compati' 'to suffer with'.
In the original rootmeanings 'to grieve with' and 'to suffer with', there is an aspect of 'putting oneself in someone elses shoes', therefore an important word in both compassion and condolences is 'com/con' is 'with' which is the word that denotes connecting to the experience of another whether it is 'grief' or 'suffering'.
For me to feel condolences in relation to Laura, the team in the Chateau and the neighbour I had to let the thoughts travel and recall a couple of incidents in February where two people I knew left within two days independent of each other and on the average 40 years too early. On the occation of the funeral of my classmate I noticed that seeing other people cry affected me too as if instinctively even though I did not cry. There is a saying around here that grief is contagious. I believe now it is true but everyone is different so there must also be many levels of condoling and for that matter compassion, and at this point I begin to think of the emotional centers lower and higher.