Jamil Zaki

Catastrophe compassion is the idea that

that after something terrible happens, people, instead of falling apart and focusing on themselves, come together and try to do for one another.

If you're on a bus that gets bombed or you're in a street that gets hit by a tornado, you suddenly have a lot in common with the people who are right next to you.

You're part of a tribe that you might not have chosen to join, but one that unites you really powerfully.

When we experience some type of pain, it's almost like we have an easier time accessing that suffering in other people and a stronger desire to do something about it.

If when you go through something, somebody is there for you, you are much more likely to then want to go and be there for somebody else going through it in the future.

We are a reciprocal species.

You give what you get.

The question of whether that sense of togetherness lasts or not depends on whether we revisit it and how much it defines our lives.

If you don't have community, if you don't keep on reminding yourself and coming back together with the people who you suffered with, then catastrophe compassion might fade.

So to the extent that we can focus ourselves on our shared challenges as opposed to sort of looking away from them and focusing only on our everyday concerns as individuals, we can tap into more of that catastrophe compassion.