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| I took this photo in the mountains of North Carolina. It speaks empathy to me for some reason. |
Positive Pensées
Kathy King
The Gift of Learning Empathy
“The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world.”
Plato
Does empathy ever cross your mind?
Does your mindset ever wander into another person’s worldview?
To have empathy means to be able to suspend the self-centered view.
To pause and try to see the circumstances of folks you may or may not know.
Selfies, self-love, self-care, and self.
How many times have you heard this particular phrase?
What if we take a moment each day and turn these phrases around in a more meaningful way?
How about trying another person’s perspective, encouraging friendly care.
Even if you cannot fully see yourself in their shoes, the act of trying can change your view.
Trying can also speak to the person who is struggling.
You have taken a moment to reflect and convey that you care about their circumstance.
This action will go a very long way.
*I wrote this last year, I write every single day… I do. I decided to share this one with some additions because I too am learning a lot about practicing better empathy. The dictionary defines empathy as: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Well folks, we are about to start a wild and wacky election cycle…. Are you ready? I certainly am not. Let us find an extra helping of empathy during this time.
We just finished an election cycle last week. It is that time where you dance a jig of glee because you are not inundated with political commercials, political mailings and the never ending political text messages that come through at a racing pace. Every person that I have encountered on multiple sides of the political aisle has a pretty resounding point of view. Why do politicians focus on what tears us apart rather than what brings us together? The consensus? An overflowing lack of empathy. Some of this mindset is very much conveyed on social media. Yesterday, I read that the majority of “inflammatory posts” from both sides of the political aisle come from about seven percent of the population! Just seven percent! This means that an overwhelming portion of the population is either very wary of the division or they want us to work together because we have more in common than what we disagree upon. Think about it, if you spend most of your time in one echo chamber that supports your world view, how does that foster empathy? Empathy puts you squarely in an experience that you are not familiar with. Recently, I read a story about a man who boarded the subway in New York City with his two small children. The father sat down and hung his head low. It was almost as if he were in shock. The kids proceeded to run around the train with little to no supervision. Many folks gave the kids a bad look and thought, “Why can’t this father reign his kid in? They are acting crazy!” The antics continued for several moments until a passenger on the train asked the man why he would not tell his kids to sit down and be quiet. The man responded, “I know I should discipline them but their mother died this morning and I am at a loss as to what to do.” Those words disarmed the whole angry train. How often do we leap to judgment when we see certain actions that we think there is a quick and swift solution to the problem? I know I am guilty quite often. Are there exceptions to this rule? Absolutely. In a world teaming with folks pushing through life, how many are struggling? The Good Samaritan is a prime example of empathy. In the Bible a parable was told of a man who was robbed on the side of the road and left for dead. A priest passed by, looked at the man and could not be bothered to help him because he was in a hurry and after all, that activity was above him. He had important things to do! A Deacon (an authority in the church), passed by and thought, “Oh he is bloody and hurt!” Yet he did not stop to help his fellow human. Finally a Samaritan stopped and helped him. What is the significance of this action? The Jewish people during that time highly regarded the Samaritans as people who were not worthy to associate with. They were not allowed in the temple, they were not allowed to be associated with the Jewish people. Yet this man had both sympathy and empathy to help out his fellow human in need. I would wager these stories carry over into everyday life. I will leave you with this quote from Henry David Thoureau: “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” Empathy truly is a gift and practice that is greatly needed in this day and age.
Source:Linkedin.com, biblestudytools.com
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