"When we hear about compassion, it naturally brings up working with
others, caring for others. The reason we're often not there for others
is that we are not there for ourselves. There are whole parts of
ourselves that are so unwanted that whenever they begin to come up we
run away.
...
Only to the degree that we've gotten to know our personal pain, only to
the degree that we've related with pain at all, will we be fearless
enough, brave enough, and enough of a warrior to be willing to feel the
pain of others. To that degree we will be able to take on the pain of
others because we will have discovered that their pain and our pain are not different.
However, to do this, we need all the help we can get."

From "Start Where You Are", by Pema Chodron.