There are many virtues one can practice, but there are few comparable to compassion. However, it seems it is one of the virtues that is often taken for granted or relegated to the background. I think we easily forget that compassion is one of the key attributes of God, who is compassion and love.
Compassion (roughly cum passion) means to suffer with, to feel with, to put oneself in the shoes of the other and to feel, think and experience things from the other's point of view. It could also mean to try to understand the other person and his or her situation. Compassion is at the heart of our humanity and thus we can ill afford to neglect it, lest we lose our essential humanity. We cannot be blind, deaf or dumb to the plights of others and expect the world to come to a standstill when the tables turn and we become victims. We need to cultivate a culture of compassion, not only for those we know and care about, but for everyone and anyone who shares our humanity.
Everyone loves to be shown compassion, therefore everyone should show compassion. That's the only way we can build a culture of compassion. Everyone: priests, spouses, teachers, leaders at all levels, siblings, every single human being needs to normalize a culture of compassion.
Peace be with you!