What does Buddha mean when he says, "In separateness lies the world's great misery. In compassion lies the world's true strength" mean?

I imagine that you can interpret this in different ways,
but to me, it is saying that what we human beings need most is to feel that we are one
with other people -- that we care for others and they care for
us.

In this quote, I think "the world" really refers to
people.  We are miserable because we are separate from others and we can often feel that
no one cares about us. At the same time, though, we are capable of making others feel
very good through compassion.  And what is compassion really?  To me, it is
understanding how other people are feeling.

So what I get
from this is that, when we feel compassion, we are actually becoming more at one with
others and we are no longer separate and alone.