Being Compassionate Chapter Notes | Social Studies Class 3 ICSE PDF Download

Introduction

In this chapter, we learn how to be kind and caring to others. Some people need our help, like old people, sick people, poor people, and children who work. We can show love and care by helping them in many ways. We also learn about special people who cannot see, hear, or walk properly, and how we can help them. There are kind people called social workers who work to make the lives of others better. Let’s find out how we can be helpful to everyone around us!

Compassion—A Kind Act

• Being compassionate means being kind and caring.
• We show compassion when we help people who are sad, hurt, or need something.
• A compassionate person has a big heart and always wants to help others.
• We should care about people around us and understand what they need.
• We should find out how we can help them in the best way.

Taking Care of the Old People

• Old people cannot do many things on their own.
• They need our love, care, and support.
• The best way to show love is by spending time with them.
• Here are some ways to make old people feel loved:
  • Do not make loud noises when they are resting.
  • Always talk to them politely and behave nicely.
  • Give them food that is soft and easy for them to eat.
  • Take them for walks, picnics, movies, or plays to enjoy with them.

Fun Fact

1st October is celebrated as the "Old Age Day" all over the world.

Taking Care of the Sick

• Sick people need to rest a lot to feel better.
• We should not disturb them or make noise around them.
• We should be kind and gentle with them.
• We should spend time with them if they feel lonely.
• Playing soft music can make them feel calm.
• We can help them by giving water, medicines, or other things they need.
• We can also make "get-well-soon" cards to cheer them up.

Compassion for the Needy

• Many poor and homeless people live around us.
• They do not have enough money to buy important things like food, clothes, or medicines.
• We can help them by giving them food, old clothes, toys, or other things we don’t use.
• These things will be very helpful to them.
• There are many groups that help poor people with education, medical help, and jobs.
• We can donate money or help these groups to support the needy.

Fun Fact

Some children do not have parents and are called orphans. Orphans need our love and support. They live in special homes where people take care of them.

Working Children

• Some children work to earn money for themselves or their families.
• These children are called working children.
• Some children work and also go to school, like boys who clean cars or deliver newspapers in the morning.
• Some children cannot go to school because their families are poor and cannot send them.
• These children want to study but have to work instead.
• Working children are also called child labour.
• We should stop any kind of child labour.

Fun Fact

Every child has the right to study. It is not allowed to make children below 14 years work in factories, houses, shops, or other places.

Ways to Help Working Children
We can help working children in many ways:

• Tell them to go to school and study.
• Tell their families why education is important for children.
• Give them your old books, notebooks, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and crayons.
• Teach them something in your free time.

Social Workers

Social workers are people who help others without thinking about themselves. They work for the good of everyone. Some social workers work for groups called non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These groups work to make the lives of poor and needy people better.

Let’s learn about some famous social workers:

Mother Teresa

• Mother Teresa is now called Saint Teresa.
• She worked for poor and sick people all over the world.
• She started a group called "Missionaries of Charity" in Kolkata in 1950.
• Her group helped poor people, orphans, and sick people.
• They opened health clinics and care homes for very sick people.
• In 1979, Mother Teresa got the Nobel Peace Prize for her great work.

Baba Amte

• Baba Amte worked for poor and sick people.
• In 1948, he started "Anandwan Ashram" in Maharashtra.
• This place gave proper care and treatment to people with a sickness called leprosy.
• In 1985, Baba Amte got the Ramon Magsaysay award for his work.

Kailash Satyarthi

• Kailash Satyarthi works to protect children’s rights.
• In 1980, he started "Bachpan Bachao Andolan."
• This group helped around 80,000 children who were forced to work in dangerous places.
• He works to stop child labour and help children get education.
• In 2014, Kailash Satyarthi got the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

Being Sensitive to the Differently Abled

• Most of us can speak, hear, see, and do things easily because we are healthy.
• But some people cannot see (they are blind), hear (they are deaf), speak, or move properly (physically challenged).
• Some people also have mental challenges and find it hard to think or learn. All these people are called differently abled.
• They need to be taught in a special way.
• Some go to special schools to learn things differently.
  • For example, people who cannot see learn to read using a script called Braille.
  • People who cannot hear or speak are taught to talk using sign language.

Differently Abled People Have Special Needs

• Differently abled people need our love, care, and sensitivity.
• We can be compassionate by doing these things for them:
  • Spend time with them to make them feel loved and wanted.
  • Help them with their daily chores if they need help.
  • Play with them and include them in fun activities.
  • Encourage them to go to school, study, and have a hobby.
  • Invite them to birthday parties, picnics, and other celebrations or outings.

Fun Fact

• 15 October is celebrated as the "World Care Day" for people who cannot see.
• The Braille script was invented by Louis Braille in 1824. Louis Braille was blind. Braille is a series of raised dots that a blind person reads by moving their hands. Braille writing is done on a machine called a Braille writer.

Efforts of the Government

The government has taken steps to help differently abled people:

• Railway stations, bus stops, shopping malls, schools, and public places have ramps for people who use wheelchairs or cannot climb stairs.
• Many city buses have low floors for easy boarding and getting off.
• Public transport has seats reserved for differently abled people.
• Coins and notes have special features to help the visually impaired use them.
• There are special schools to train differently abled people to live on their own.
• The government has reserved seats for them in colleges and jobs.

Special People and Their Achievements

• Many differently abled people work hard and achieve great things.
• Even with their challenges, they do not give up and reach their goals.

For Example: Diya Says...

Today, Diya’s class teacher talked about some famous differently abled people who achieved great things. 

Diya shares that Helen Keller was a symbol of victory because she overcame big challenges. When Helen was very young, she became blind and deaf, which means she could not see or hear. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her by teaching her to read using Braille, a special way of reading with raised dots, and to speak using sign language, which uses hand movements. As Helen grew up, she worked hard and became a world-famous teacher, author, and speaker who inspired many people. 

Diya also mentions Stephen Hawking, a scientist who knew seven languages. When he was 21, he got a disease that made him unable to control his limbs and he lost his voice, so he used a wheelchair. Despite this, he continued his work in science, taught Physics at Cambridge University in England, and wrote books that many people still read today. 

Lastly, Diya talks about Sudha Chandran, an Indian classical dancer who lost her leg in a road accident. Doctors said she would never walk again, but Sudha worked hard until she could walk and even dance with an artificial leg. She still dances beautifully today.

Points To Remember

• We are compassionate when we are kind, caring, and ready to help people who need us.
• We should be sensitive to the needs of old, sick, and needy people.
• We can help them in many ways.
• Our care and concern for differently abled people show our compassion for them.
• The government has taken many steps to help differently abled people.
• Helen Keller, Stephen Hawking, and Sudha Chandran are some special people who did not give up and achieved their goals.

Glossary

• Digest: Break down and absorb food in the body.
• Discourage: Stop or prevent something.
• Terminally ill: Having a sickness that cannot be cured.
• Recognition: Getting appreciation or a reward.
• Confined: Restricted or limited to a place.
• Persevered: Continued working hard even when things were difficult.