Index IntroductionParadoxes of compassionDiscussionConclusionIntroductionThe culture of humanitarianism is a way in which humanitarian practices and experiences are represented, narrated and performed. Culture in general is produced and shaped by society and the people, together with their behaviors and traditions, who are part of it. Therefore, humanitarian culture is also a dynamic product of society and its different dimensions, such as religion, morality, politics, media and others. One of the dimensions of morality is compassion, which remains a key value claimed by anthropologists in their representation of other human beings that overcomes cultural difference. This essay will examine this dimension more closely through the anthropological perspective and discuss how it influences and shapes the culture of humanitarianism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayCompassion is defined as “an interpersonal process involving observation, feeling, sensemaking, and action that alleviates the suffering of another person,” or in other words it is a combination of heart and reason that creates sympathy for the misfortune of others and the moral obligation to remedy it. Compassion is seen as one of the underlying reasons why people decide to engage in humanitarian and charitable actions. Although we tend to think of compassion and compassionate helping as a virtuous and just act, since it leads to alleviating the suffering of others, the literature on humanitarianism and compassion draws attention to both its positive and negative aspects, which are interconnected and driven by paradoxes associated with the power imbalances and inequalities inherent in humanitarian and charitable work. This essay will explore and discuss some paradoxes of compassionate helping with some examples based on an ethnographic study conducted by Guinea-Martin on two charitable organizations distributing food to the homeless in an Italian city, and referring to other anthropological and ethnographic research. on compassion and its paradoxes. Paradoxes of compassion To begin with, it is essential to understand that in humanitarian or charitable organizations the act of helping is exercised from top to bottom, from rich to poor, that is, from those who hold power to those who have little or nothing, which implies imbalance of power and inequalities between the actors from the start. And although many perceive power in terms of domination and constraint, and the imbalance of power as something negative and belittling for the beneficiaries, a certain measure of it, where power is understood as having capabilities and resources, such as money, knowledge or technology, which enable aid to be provided in the first place, is inevitable and necessary. The literature distinguishes two types of power: power over someone and power to, which in turn refers to its empowering, supporting and capacity-building characteristics. This inseparable combination of enabling potential and domination and belittling at the same time is one of the paradoxes of power in compassionate giving. Another paradox that also refers to power imbalances is connected with one of the characteristics of compassionate giving, which is altruism. Compassionate helping is viewed by default as expecting nothing in return, as one practices it out of morality and purely with the goal of helping others. However, in the case of humanitarian and charitable aid, there is a further characteristic of this situation, namely the fact that the beneficiaries of the aid, in addition to not being expected, are unable to provide anything in return. THEResearchers have argued, as confirmed by research subjects, including the homeless in the Guinea-Martin study, that this inability to repay a gift creates an internal obligation to feel gratitude and debt, which in turn leads to feelings of shame. and resentment, as well as a loss of sense of agency (2014). Consequently, to counter these feelings, some homeless people decided to refuse the food that was distributed to them as a way to restore their sense of agency and dignity. It seems that altruistic gifts have the potential to invoke too many obligations and not serve their purpose, but bring opposite results. What constitutes another paradox of compassionate helping and is also related to its lack of negative outcomes for beneficiaries is the creation of a “victim mentality.” ”. While primarily aimed at alleviating suffering, aid should also draw attention to the interdependencies it creates between benefactors and aid recipients. Prolonged aid has been shown to increase the dependency of those receiving it and they often no longer feel the need or motivation to provide for themselves, which again refers to a decreased sense of initiative and responsibility for their well-being (Elisha, 2008). . The question one might ask is: how much help is too much and when can the help be considered to last too long. What follows is another question of how to incorporate restoring independence during helping and how to do it effectively. In relation to the questions mentioned above, it is important to examine the paradoxes from the perspective of those who practice compassionate helping. While aimed at alleviating the suffering of others, their actions can create resentment, lasting dependencies, or refusal of help from recipients. Being exposed to such circumstances can also arouse feelings of hopelessness and resentment on their part and lead to a condition described as “compassion fatigue”, which means becoming numb and disconnected from the suffering of others thus reaching a condition of burnout. A possible solution suggested in the literature to address the problem of compassion fatigue is to approach the act of compassionate donation not as altruism but as a mutual exchange involving both parties and there are various ways in which people and humanitarian organizations try to apply this approach. Some of them perceive the gratitude of the beneficiaries as a complementary factor to the mutual exchange, however, as mentioned above, expecting gratitude can lead to negative consequences. Those who do not demonstrate due gratitude or willingness to improve are morally suspect. Similarly, situations that do not respond to repeated interventions provoke talk of “compassion fatigue.” The literature also addresses the issue of maintaining an emotional distance and not having expectations to avoid fatigue, but also to avoid humiliating and shaming the recipient. Therefore, other organizations introduce tools to maintain beneficiaries' accountability for the aid provided, such as providing receipts for distributed money or evidence of actively seeking means to provide for themselves, for example by seeking employment, and restoring meaning of independence and responsibility for one's own well-being. Some philosophers have tried to introduce a different notion of help that departs from the compassionate approach inherent to the tensions between power and emotions and moves towards an egalitarian approach, as a notion that promotes equality and solidarity between donors and recipients, resolving power imbalance issues. In the study on Italian charitable organizations one.