Letters to the Editor

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  • Bebop-o, re Mitleid und Mitfreude

    Schopenhauer valued mitleid but discounted mitfreude.

    Nietzsche valued mitfreude but discounted mitleid.

    Look elsewhere.

    Buddhism rejects pity (grade B mitleid) and condescension but values true compassion (authentic mitleid, between equals). Those who believe that authentic mitleid comes from God may find it in Paul's "agap'e" and Joseph Smith's "charity" and many other places.

    Spider Robinson values both mitleid and mitfreude, and wrote the motto of Callahan's and alt.callahans, "Shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased. Thus do we refute entropy."