What is the term for the quality of understanding others' suffering and wanting to help?

The term that best describes the quality of understanding others' suffering and wanting to help is compassion. Compassion goes beyond merely recognizing someone else's pain; it involves not only empathy, which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, but also a desire to alleviate that suffering. The compassionate individual feels a deep emotional response to another's distress and is motivated to take action to help them.

While empathy is focused more on the internal experience of understanding another's feelings, compassion encompasses that understanding but adds the element of willingness to assist. Sympathy relates more to feeling pity for someone else's situation without the same level of engagement. Conciliation is about resolving conflicts and disagreements, which does not inherently include the emotional understanding and desire to alleviate suffering found in compassion. Therefore, the most suitable choice that captures the essence of both understanding and the willingness to help is compassion.