How and when do we learn to be compassionate? Can it possibly be too late to learn it?

I feel that compassion comes from love, and living through life's experiences. All the things that a person goes through in life and what and we've learned from it gives us the understanding to know what another person could feel like going through situations in life. Mainly because we've been there and done that ourselves in someway. Being human we will go through and experience many things at different levels and at different ages in our life and I feel that it is never to late for a person to learn compassion. There are some people that live their entire life and be cold as a stone. They couldn't feel anything if their butt was on fire. I believe these type of human beings carry alot of anger from an early age and build walls to protect themselves that they choose not to feel anything. Some just think that hurting someone because they hurt you that it's ok. Mental disorders that cause people to kill, torture, have no compassion for anything but pain......and in their distorted minds don't feel anything and go through life as if they've done nothing wrong. A normal person can feel things and be able to walk in someone else's shoes becaused the shoe fit them in their own walk in life. Some learn the meaning of it early and some much later in life.

I don't think compassion is learned as a skill or as as a result of observation. It comes from having had a rough road to cross in your life at some time, and having felt it, you feel more for others.

I think compassion is taught by our parents. However, it's something you can learn if you think you're not compassionate.

It's never too late to learn to better ourselves....that's a big purpose in life.

It has a lot to do with the way you are raised I think, because people learn from example. However, if you really wanted to be a more compassionate person later in life, I believe it is possible. You just have to surround yourself with people who inspire you to be more, remind yourself to be kinder to people, and just give yourself time.