We cannot help but to be moved by the outpouring of compassionate giving in response to the earthquake in Haiti. It is indicative of our spirit of giving. We are good that way. We respond quickly and are generous in seeking to meet the urgent needs of a devastated country. We mobilize to get things done, and we feel good about it. We are very responsive when it comes to short-term compassion.

But then we forget and move on to the next disaster that is receiving coverage. So often now, it is media coverage that evokes our compassion. We respond quickly and do it in good conscience. We feel satisfied that we have done our best to help. We forget that rebuilding a nation takes time. We forget that some of the most serious needs will surface months later, and that human suffering continues. We forget that some wounds never heal and last for a lifetime.

Why do we move on so quickly to the next cause and abandon our natural compassionate nature? The answer may be found in the way we have learned to respond to media coverage. Media reporters are often the first responders. They bring us the scenes of devastation. We see and respond to images of collapsed buildings, bodies shrouded in the streets, and the cries of the injured and dying. We follow the camera and try to move fast in our response to the immediate need. We want to quickly solve problems and have them disappear, and are tempted to avoid causes that have few or complex answers. We move on, and then we forget.

So, let us remember that compassion is also a virtue of the long run. We may be called to stay the course until the work is complete, and the families cope with loss and finally heal. We may need to see the new rise from the rubble of the old. Then, and only then do we allow ourselves access to compassion’s true gift. The giver learns to receive. Perhaps that is what compassion is all about.