Sympathy is generally defined as a form of concern in which emotions are shared with someone suffering from grief. Feeling this, however, is very different from feeling sorry for somebody. The difference lies in mutually experiencing how the other feels despite one not directly participating in the hardship. Pitying, however, can be done by someone who feels nothing similar to the suffering person. He or she can simply feel bad for a few moments and then return to his or her emotional state. One can feel sorry without actually sharing in the pain.
Callousness
Callousness is being emotionally hardened or not being able to feel. It is being insensitive and unsympathetic toward a person or a situation. Many people are callous toward the poor. They believe that those who suffer from poverty are simply too lazy to get their life back on track. Little do they realize that this is not the case. Many have been very successful in their lifetimes, but life circumstances just come up and may cause anyone's success to dwindle. Instead of understanding the situation from the poor person's perspective, they simply show their reaction to them by not responding at all. They believe that those in poverty should help themselves.
Indifference
Indifference is when one lacks interest or concern. It is being apathetic to the situation. It does not matter to one what is occurring or what the result will be. The outcome then can go in either direction and one could care less. An example of this is animal cruelty. There are people in the world who really do not care about animals. Because of this, many animals undergo mistreatment and suffering. Those people who are concerned, say that their "spirit" is weakened by these indifferent people. There are many alternatives to killing animals. Spaying and neutering them is one, so that the shelters do not face overpopulation. Educating the public on how to treat their animals will prevent animal abandonment and capitulation.
Mercilessness
Mercilessness is the lack of mercy. It is being cruel and heartless. It is not caring about the person's well-being. It can also mean the refusal to forgive. An example of this is capital punishment. More commonly known as the death penalty, there has been a lot of controversy regarding this topic. The death penalty is when someone is sentenced to death after having committed some type of offense. This is the perfect example where mercilessness is demonstrated, as many people are not forgiven, and instead are treated with cruelty. Though some may argue that it is an act of justice, it is more so an act of revenge. An alternative undertaking would be life imprisonment. In that way, the criminal is still being punished for his wrongdoing while simultaneously keeping their right to life.
There are alternatives to the actions that result from being callous, indifferent, and merciless. Sympathy is lacking in those who express these negative sentiments. With sympathy, more positive outcomes will result than with the opposite of sympathy.
