What is compassion?

It seems that at one time, people had a general idea of what compassion was. I wonder if our modern times consider this principle to be too old fashioned for any good use. For those of us who don't know what compassion is, I thought I would bring it to the internet.

"Soft pity enters at an iron gate." Shakespear, The Rape of Lucrece, L. 595

"No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity." Shakespear. Richard lll, act i, sc 2, L. 71

"Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation." Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit.

"The wretched have no compassion." Samuel Johnson, Letters. Vol ii, p. 215

"I have no longing for things great and fair, beauty and strength and grace of word or deed; For all sweet things my soul has ceased to care; Infinite pity - that is all I need." J. B. B. Nichols, During Music.

com·pas·sion (km-pshn)
n.
Deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it. See Synonyms at pity.
[Middle English compassioun, from Late Latin compassi, compassin-, from compassus, past participle of compat, to sympathize : Latin com-, com- + Latin pat, to suffer; see p(i)- in Indo-European roots.]

com·passion·less adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. compassion - a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering compassion - a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
compassionateness
heartstrings - your deepest feelings of love and compassion; "many adoption cases tug at the heartstrings"
fellow feeling, sympathy - sharing the feelings of others (especially feelings of sorrow or anguish)
tenderheartedness, tenderness - warm compassionate feelings
mercifulness, mercy - the feeling that motivates compassion
2. compassion - the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it
pity
mercifulness, mercy - a disposition to be kind and forgiving; "in those days a wife had to depend on the mercifulness of her husband"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2011 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
compassion
noun sympathy, understanding, charity, pity, humanity, mercy, heart, quarter, sorrow, kindness, tenderness, condolence, clemency, commiseration, fellow feeling, soft-heartedness, tender-heartedness

The Dalai Lama practises what he preaches: universal kindness and compassion.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

From my research, I have found that the most modern term for compassion would be forgiveness, or non judgmental. Compassion, apparently, is when someone does not care why something is happening, they only want to make it better than it is right now. I think that is something to be encouraged in everyone. I, also, think it is something the modern society has left behind them, along with playing outside and making do with what you have.

One more thought before I close this. If we were more compassionate, as a society, what would happen to gossip, drama, and loneliness? Would they disappear? Is there anything else that compassion has a chance of "curing"?