The etymology of compassion is Latin, meaning co-suffering.. Compassion involves feeling for another and is a precursor to empathy, the feeling as another capacity for better person centered acts of active compassion, in common parlance active compassion is the desire to alleviate another's suffering.
The Hmong people are in the U.S. as victims of US policies in the Vietnam War and then victims of persecution by Laos after the war. There are others who supported the U.S. but are still in Asia, facing persecution for their support of America. Many escaped to Thailand, but many of them have been forced back to Laos.
Hmong high school students perform a traditional dance at a high school on the outskirts of Vientiane, Laos. Many Hmong families are moving into lowland villages, and are becoming more integrated into Lao life but still retain a strong sense of their own culture and heritage.he clan (xeem) remains a dominant organizing force in Hmong society. There are about eighteen Hmong clans that are known in Laos and Thailand. Clan membership is inherited upon birth or occasionally through adoption. All children are members of the fatherâs clan, through which they will trace their ancestors.