There are times in life when friends, relatives and other loved ones around you need your understanding and support. Compassion is one of the most basic of human emotions and for most people; there is a great need to express emotional understanding with fellow human beings. It is during these times that the subjects of sympathy and condolence emerge. Both sympathy and condolence are terms, which are characterized by understanding a fellow human being and having compassion for a fellow human being, and though the two words are sometimes used interchangeably, it is important to find the distinction between the two. The easiest way to differentiate between sympathy and condolence is by remembering that a condolence is always a form of sympathy, but expressing sympathy is not always an example of a condolence. Initially this may be a confusing concept, but hopefully the more detailed explanation below will clear up any bewilderment.
Sympathy is a more general term for feelings of pity or sorrow for someone else's misfortune. A person can be sympathetic to a variety of situations. Seeing a child drop their candy can be a scenario where one becomes sympathetic; they understand the sadness that the child must feel because of their fallen treat and subsequently having compassion for this child. While this is obviously a very basic example, it is intended to demonstrate that scenarios that prompt sympathy are encountered quite frequently. Showing sympathy can involve a variety of actions. In many cases sympathy can be shown simply by listening to another person's problems or acknowledging how difficult a situation must be for them to handle. An action with no communication at all can be a form of sympathy, such as a nod, smile or hug. Simple forms of sympathy such as these can often mean the most to people. Apart from these basic examples provide, one of the more serious forms of sympathy is expressing understanding for the grief of losing a love one and it is in this element of sympathy that condolence becomes intertwined.
If sympathy was described as a general term, a condolence must be considered the more specific term. A basic definition of condolence will usually read along the lines of expressing sympathy with a person especially in the case of death. Many people attempt to use condolence and sympathy as if the words had identical meanings, but it is the presence of death that usually characterizes condolences. In almost every culture, condolences are paid to surviving family members that have recently lost a loved one. This include sending cards, flowers, phone calls, food or other expressions of compassion that are intended to try and ease the suffering of those in mourning. It is through these examples that it is seen that there is little separation between sympathy and condolences, in fact it can be easily argued that any form of condolence is a form of sympathy. As stated previously however, it must never be assumed that every act of sympathy is an act of condolence.
