Compassion *does* generate sympathy
My father-in-law (who's been an asshole since long before he voted for Trump) is dying at home, as he wants. Spouse and I are making it possible. This has been strongly proving the truism that just treating someone with compassion softens your feelings towards them, whether or not that's deliberate.
We still dislike him intensely, and are looking forward to his death. But my heartily despising him has faded to a cognitive recognition that those feelings were & are warranted, without being caught up in them. Spouse has noticed it, too, though I'm not presuming to describe his feelings.
Maybe we're just avoiding cognitive dissonance. Whatever it is, I'll take it. Looking after a dying person who's shifting in and out of lucidity is hard enough without my heart rate going up every time I talk to him.
Also? If nursing home staff were paid more than neurosurgeons, it wouldn't be enough.
Learn more: In-Home Care
![A screenshot of a news article. It reads as follows:
Today, Musk reposted a social media post from MAGA religious extremist General Mike Flynn, who resigned from his position as Trump’s national security advisor in 2017 after pleading guilty to secret conversations with a Russian agent—for which Trump pardoned him—and who publicly embraced the QAnon conspiracy theory. In today’s post, Flynn complained about “the ‘Lutheran’ faith” and, referring to federal grants provided to Lutheran Family Services and affiliated organizations, said, “this use of ‘religion’ as a money laundering operation must end.” Musk added: “The [DOGE] team is rapidly shutting down these illegal payments.”
In fact, this is money appropriated by Congress, and its payment is required by law. Republican lawmakers have pushed government subsidies and grants toward religious organizations for years, and Lutheran Social Services is one of the largest employers in South Dakota, where it operates senior living facilities.
South Dakota is the home of Senate majority leader John Thune, who has not been a strong Trump supporter, as well as Homeland Security secretary nominee Kristi Noem.](https://media.mstdn.social/media_attachments/files/113/940/741/636/072/929/original/8e88a6b11381305a.png)