Compassion can kill

It's a difficult lesson to learn

Compassion is a virtue, but it can be a dangerous one.

I try to be kind. I’ve encouraged it in my children. Yet the road to horror can be paved with compassion, as Israel experienced this week.

In 1988, Yahya Sinwar masterminded the murder of two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians he deemed “traitors.” Sentenced to four life sentences, he spent years in prison, even surviving a brain tumor thanks to Israeli surgeons.

In 2011, Israel released Sinwar, along with 1,025 other prisoners, in exchange for Gilad Shalit, a young IDF soldier held hostage by Hamas for five years. The lopsided deal was popular among Israelis.

Fast forward to today. Sinwar now leads Hamas in Gaza and orchestrated this week’s massacre of over 900 dead. Israel's act, driven by compassion for one soldier, empowered a man who would help create untold suffering. It's a tragic irony that raises profound ethical questions.

There’s much to admire about a country who places that much value on one citizen’s life. In some ways, it’s inspiring.

Yet it raises a question that Israelis and the world are asking today. How much did that encourage the Hamas attack? If one kidnapping could free 1,000, how much would 150 hostages be worth?

Following a familiar theme, just two months ago the Biden administration rewarded Iran with a $6 billion ransom in exchange for five American hostages held on trumped up charges.

Yet over-compassion isn’t just a global-political problem it's a human problem. I live in the Bay Area, where the population is so compassionate that it's destroying the city.

“Harm reduction" policies help drug addicts stay drug addicts, allowing them to continue their downward spiral, sometimes to the point of no return. Welfare programs keep generations in the grip of dependency. The softer, gentler treatment of criminals has spawned social chaos.

And, of course, we’ve all seen parents help ruin their children through an abundance of kindness. Without a balance, kindness can become a form of neglect.

Right now, Israel’s enemies are wagering that their hostages — which include men, women, children and the elderly — are valuable enough to prevent Israel from rampaging through their streets. I suspect Hamas fatally miscalculated, and that the well of Israel’s compassion will be dry for quite awhile.

Kindness can indeed kill. Recognizing its potential dangers lets us wield it more wisely, because often, the best decisions are the hardest to make.

–Ken