Protecting others from the corruption that realistically exists in the world is compassion toward those you protect. Protecting yourself from dangerous our wrong situations is compassion toward yourself. Problems come when you let the outside world underneath your protective skin. Beware of that choice...beware of letting outside conditions corrupt your inner world. We may not always have control over what is happening "out there" but you always have supreme control over what is happening inside your inner mental 'haz mat suit'.A thick skin helps us survive.