La Voz de Galicia – January 11, 2026 →
Today I wanted to write about two essential (and fascinating) human abilities. But I must admit that they are two words that are quite difficult to define, and that perhaps each of us has a different understanding of what they mean or how they are acquired or practiced… According to the dictionary of the Galician Royal Academy, tact is the “ability to deal with people or delicate matters appropriately, knowing what should be done and what should be avoided,” and compassion means “a feeling of pity or sorrow caused by the suffering or misfortune of others, which leads one to try to prevent it.”
In the times we live in, especially here on the Atlantic side where I find myself (the U.S.), one deeply wishes that these two words would come to dominate the public and political sphere as soon as possible, that they would govern daily life. Yet it seems that tact and compassion have either disappeared or changed their meaning. Because in this stage we are in, things do not always mean what we believe they mean; instead, they acquire the meaning imposed by those who decide it in that very moment. A meaning that will vary depending on the emotions of the person who pronounces them… So, following their own judgment, could it be that those in power today truly feel they are acting with tact and compassion?
For me, these two words are fundamental values for coexistence. They are so necessary! And yet, they are so easily forgotten! Especially when everything around us pushes us in the opposite direction… Keeping a family together, maintaining a relationship, or sustaining a friendship requires, among many other things, tact and compassion. And governing a country? Sadly, it seems not.
