Andrew Sullivan: American Conservatism is in trouble

[mburbank]

I can feel compassion for someone who has it worse than me at the moment, and also acknowledge that their state could well be mine at any point. The moral high ground is nowhere near as stable as folks think, and compassion can be a form of social self interest.

Caring about your fellows welfare is a good in and of itself, (highground? Maybe) but it also encourages your fellows to care about your welfare.

People without compassion, or who's compassion is thin or false generally assume that their swell situation is a sign of God's approval and as such will never be withdrawn. Compassion ought to involve emapthy, not superiority.

That being said, if I'm hungy I'd prefer bread from a man who thinks himslef my better than no bread at all.