Compassion is often confused with pity. I suspect that has something to do with shame or maybe just plain old arrogance. Either way, I wanted to share a few thoughts on the subject.
Compassion and pity are similar in that they manifest as sympathy for the suffering of others. But there’s a big difference beyond that: compassion is taking action to alleviate that suffering. And while the dictionary definition of pity has no negative connotation, experience says otherwise.
In practice, pity is what a person feels for something (or sadly, someone) he or she considers inferior.
We have pity for poor people, drunks, drug abusers, battered women, the homeless, etc. It’s pity because we secretly believe them to deserve it or desire to live that way – we believe them to be inferior at their core.
Once we stop looking down on people, we can have compassion.
By seeing the intrinsic value people have we can understand their circumstances as a collection of upbringing, situation, temperament, and a host of other happenstances. So maybe we don’t have a problem with dictionary definitions. Maybe we have a problem seeing suffering as anything other than what certain (inferior) people deserve.
What can we do then? Practice having compassion – not pity – as you are able, when you see the suffering of others.
The Way of Humble Living 
Thank you for addressing the labeling issue our society seems to stumble over constantly. Just because someone may be monetarily poor doesn’t mean they are necessarily poor. They may be much richer in spirit and character than the millionaire on the next block. The intrinsic value of what they offer can, in the end, supersede the overblown propensity of arrogance. It has been said that the meek shall inherit the earth 🙂
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