The Arithmetic of Compassion
The Arithmetic of Compassion is a nonprofit group of researchers dedicated to raising awareness of psychological barriers to compassion | PhD @pslovic.bsky.social
www.arithmeticofcompassion.org
- A false accusation. A teenage mistake. An old debt that no longer exists. Online, these moments don’t fade. Our systems remember long after people have changed. Why the Right to Be Forgotten matters: bit.ly/3NJqjw5
- When the internet goes dark, abuse becomes easier to hide. This piece looks at Internet shutdowns and the fragile channels keeping the outside world informed. bit.ly/4bF8NCQ
- Numbing isn’t broken by more headlines. It’s broken by presence. Eating together forces presence: smell, taste, stories, eye contact. That’s why food shows up again and again in peace-building efforts. 🔗 bit.ly/49akH6g
- We struggle to respond to large-scale atrocities. We respond differently when we hear one person’s story. This post connects Nicholas Kristof’s reporting with survivor testimonies — and why singular lives change how we care. 🔗 bit.ly/4prZ3zd
- What happens when the world asks us to carry more suffering than we feel able to handle? Joanna helped us understand why we grow numb — and how we can come back. A tribute to Joanna Macy (1929–2025). bit.ly/3YMvvRU
- Biology limits how much suffering we can process. Culture decides whose suffering matters. Large-scale indifference emerges when those two align. bit.ly/3MQUX6f
- In Timor-Leste, the deadliest risk isn’t a storm or a tsunami — it’s crocodile attacks. The challenge? Crocodiles are also sacred ancestors. How do you talk about danger when the “threat” is part of who people are? 🔗Read more: bit.ly/3KCvTyV
- Most ocean damage is invisible. But the shoreline doesn’t lie. Every tide brings fragments of our consumption, our disasters, our history — right to our feet. If we want to protect the ocean, we have to start by seeing it. 🔗 Read the full article: bit.ly/3Mr5uEK
- When we light up the night, we turn off the stars. In Chile’s Atacama, people are fighting to save one of the darkest skies on Earth 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/3XhSvHI
- We chose six moments to capture Jane Goodall’s extraordinary life and work. Each moment reflects the same truth: hope is not naïve — it is a discipline, and the antidote to numbness in the face of crisis. Read the full article here www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/blog/2025/10...
- Prince warned us: “The prize is the soul.” Today, teens and experts agree — the new luxury isn’t online, it’s time offline. 👉 Is being unplugged the real power move of the 21st century? Read more www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/blog/2025/9/...
- 🇦🇷✨ At 4 a.m., 50,000 Argentines weren’t watching soccer—they were watching a starfish. A deep-sea mission turned into a national craze. 🌊🦑 www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/blog/2025/8/...
- From August 6–9, 1945, Hiroshima and Nagasaki endured unimaginable loss. Eighty years later, art still cuts through the numbness, reminding us that behind every number was a life. www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/blog/2025/8/...
- "Pikas only fall when people drop them." This week marks 80 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Pianist Makiko Hirata shares a powerful reflection on memory, music, and the ripple effect of peace. Read Makiko’s reflection here: musicalmakiko.com/en/healing-p...
- Check what's inside the newsletter this month: climate jokes, unfriendly benches, and why we feel more for puppies than people. Turns out, what makes us laugh might also show us what—and who—we care about. Explore these perspectives with us: www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/newsletter
- Why do we feel more for one than for millions? Photographer @lisakristinephoto.bsky.social shows us what we often miss: the human face behind mass suffering. Her portraits cut through psychic numbing—helping us feel, care, and act.
- Why do we care more about one rescued animal than thousands suffering out of sight? This isn’t just a flaw in feeling — it’s a pattern we can change. From psychic numbing to intentional compassion, here’s how to take action beyond the headlines. www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/blog/2025/6/...
- Why do climate memes hit so hard? They tap into irony and shared frustration — helping us feel something when the crisis feels too big to face. How humor can bridge our compassion gap? Read the full article here
- Recently, Greta Thunberg joined the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza, shining a light on those trapped under blockade. Some lives get seen, others don’t. Her message turns numbness into action. Read more and find your role. www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/blog/2025/6/...
- Check what's inside the newsletter this month: We reflect on Sebastião Salgado’s legacy of making suffering visible, revisit The Eternaut’s call for collective survival, and consider the Pope’s role in uncertain times. Explore these perspectives with us: www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/newsletter
- Subscribe to our newsletter! Once a month, we explore why we feel and act the way we do—and how understanding can lead to meaningful change. Compassion begins with insight. 👉 www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/newsletter
- What if the end of the world started… with snow? Based on the iconic Argentine graphic novel The Eternaut, Netflix’s new series flips the script: the real hero isn’t one person — it’s the collective. Read the full article here: www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/blog/2025/5/...
- Remembering Sebastião Salgado — a photographer who goes beyond just pictures. His black & white photography breaks through the numbness we sometimes feel and shows the powerful stories behind people and places. Read our last article here www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/blog/2025/5/...
- Empathy is everywhere—you just have to look closely. It shapes how we connect, what we choose, and what moves us. What stories spark empathy in you? This one is told in the first person—do you relate? Read the full article here: www.arithmeticofcompassion.org/blog/2025/5/...
- Even in injustice, compassion can lead us forward. “Our human compassion binds us the one to the other… as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.” – Nelson Mandela bit.ly/4iyjIhP
- What if we celebrated kindness the way we celebrate intelligence? “When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel bit.ly/4iyjIhP
- Simple doesn’t mean small.“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.” – Mahatma Gandhi bit.ly/4iyjIhP
- Simple, direct, transformative and actionable. “Compassion is a verb.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh bit.ly/4iyjIhP
- A reminder to love, even in a divided world. “Compassion is the language of God. Let us learn to live with kindness, to love everyone, even when they do not love us.” – Pope Francis bit.ly/4iyjIhP
- Life under lockdown felt unpredictable, unstable, and out of control—just like the world of Hamlet. So why not perform it inside GTA Online? A modern Elsinore in a virtual crime world.
- Want to be happy? Help someone. Want others to be happy? Help someone. The Dalai Lama reminds us: compassion serves us all. bit.ly/4iyjIhP
- #TheParentsCircle They lost children to conflict. Instead of revenge, they chose peace. Palestinian and Israeli parents build bridges through grief.
- Feeling compassion is powerful. Acting on it? Even more so. These quotes challenge us to live with more kindness and courage. bit.ly/4iyjIhP #ChooseCompassion #HumanConnection
- @seedsofpeace.bsky.social They arrive carrying decades of conflict. They leave with a new vision of the other. Seeds of Peace turns enemies into allies.
- They were strangers. Some, even former enemies. But during the Ebola outbreak, they came together to bury the dead with dignity. bit.ly/43SKn54
- She believed in love in action. Even the smallest act, done with heart, matters. “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa
- Compassion speaks every language. These seven quotes from across cultures and faiths remind us: compassion isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom. bit.ly/4iyjIhP #Compassion #GlobalVoices
- #EnemyKitchen A truck. A plate. A quiet challenge to war, memory, and perception. Enemy Kitchen nourishes bodies and rewrites stories.
- In moments of conflict and loss, compassion still shows up. These 6 stories show how empathy can cross enemy lines, rewrite narratives, and defy the odds.
- To be or not to be… inside Grand Theft Auto Online? During lockdown, artists reimagined Hamlet inside a video game, turning chaos into art. How storytelling helped us navigate uncertainty:
- We're psychologically biased to feel for one life, not thousands. That’s why climate change feels far away—even when it’s burning our backyards. It’s called psychic numbing. bit.ly/4j45ciP
- Yale’s 2024 "Six Americas" study confirms that climate concern is growing. The Alarmed now outnumber the Dismissive by 2.5 to 1. But 22% remain Doubtful or Dismissive—how do we engage those still unconvinced? bit.ly/3FU7jXF @climateconnections.bsky.social @yaleclimatecomm.bsky.social
- Reposted by The Arithmetic of CompassionNEW ARTICLE: We reviewed 50 research articles on the impacts of climate activism - check out the key takeaways:
- New #Yale study: More Americans than ever (26%) are Alarmed about climate change. The Alarmed now outnumber the Dismissive by 2.5 to 1, but is that enough to drive real action? #ClimateCrisis #YaleClimate bit.ly/3FU7jXF @yaleclimatecomm.bsky.social @climateconnections.bsky.social
- The people of Myanmar need our compassion now more than ever. Learn how you can support relief efforts after the devastating earthquake bit.ly/43zIvOD
- Facts tell. Stories move. Documentaries like Blackfish and The Cove turned awareness into action. How? Through narrative empathy. Read more: bit.ly/41PYAhT
- Genocide doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a slow process of dehumanization. How can we recognize early warning signs and take action before it’s too late? @svobodster.bsky.social explores the psychology behind hate and intervention. Read more: bit.ly/4iOsOb8
- The "Us vs. Them" thinking fuels division. But extremist ideologies don’t just create enemies—they create victims within the in-group, reinforcing a false sense of righteousness. When empathy is selective, exclusion follows. bit.ly/4hl3ckB
- Stories shape how we see the world. But what if nature itself had a voice? Participatory ecological storytelling invites us to listen—to animals, forests, even oceans—and rethink our place in the web of life. bit.ly/3R8bq4C
- Empathy is an act of humility—it reminds us that another person’s suffering could have been ours. @musicalmakiko.bsky.social explores how music helps us exercise this essential human capacity. Read more: bit.ly/41Wfviy
