Compassion does not mean simply being "nice." Nor does it mean "letting people off the hook," as if one would say in every situation, "I understand," and never hold anybody accountable. The strength of compassion as a value can be seen by looking at its opposites: hatred, abuse, brutality, injustice; indifference, selfishness, self-righteousness (in religious or secular form), hardness of heart; racism, sexism, classism, militant nationalism, and so forth. To advocate compassion is to stand against these. Thus it is not a "weak" value that tolerates everything.

Marcus J. Borg, The God We Never Knew