Empathy and Compassion

In addition to sharpening your mental focus, it is also important to become less self centered and more caring towards others. If your motivation in life genuinely is to help others, then of course you will have this quality already. Making a habit of reflecting deeply about the needs and suffering of others will enhance your caring attitude. Please remember that a focused mind does not necessarily mean a compassionate mind. One can focus one’s selfishness and hate as easily (if not more easily) than one can focus compassion. You need compassion to develop empathy, and you need empathy to enhance compassion.
So, why might we want to meditate? Answer : to connect with reality and therefore realize to interconnectedness of all things. To realize interconnectedness or unity, you need to surrender your belief in separateness. You must constantly remember that every person and creature is interdependent at many levels. Meditation and mindfulness will help you do that.