What it means to have Empathy
Having empathy seems like a lost trait in much of today’s society. Today, many people are more concerned with selfish agendas, and judging others for surface reasons. I think it is important as fellow human beings to have empathy. To care about and have compassion for all people. To not judge others, especially before we judge ourselves. You cannot know someone else’s struggles or the circumstances that led them to where or how they are. Being empathetic is mentally putting yourself in their shoes, and working to reach an understanding of their circumstances.
It is a sad sight to see people laugh at, and judge someone less fortunate then themselves. The poor person on the street did nothing to deserve the negative attention. If they made a mistake in life to lead them to where they are, we can only be thankful that mistakes we have made had not led us down the same path. Maybe they were in financial trouble, and they didn’t have the mother, uncle, or grandparent to bail them out that you did. Instead of judging them, remember that you do not know the circumstances that got them there, and hope for them to have better days ahead.
We live in an “it’s all about me, and only me” world today. This turns us into selfish, self-centered people, that do not have empathy for others – only caring for ourselves. I believe society has a lot to benefit from having empathy and caring for others. A world without empathy would mean no caring for others. This means if you were put in unfortunate circumstances, there would be no one to help you; no one to care for you. Everyone needs help sometimes. We should be neighborly to each other and offer a helping hand if needed. Having empathy for others makes people create emotional bonds with each other.
I think having empathy is part of being a happy human. By putting yourself in other people’s shoes, you create a bond with them. You learn about them, and form a caring attitude towards them. Opening your eyes to others circumstances before passing judgment allows you to not only see their lives, but allows you to see an accurate picture of your own life, and become thankful for what you have.
My son is about to turn 3 years old, and he has very strong autistic tendencies. Empathy is something that's a bit of a struggle for us, and we are told it may be a continued struggle in the future because it's very common for autistic individuals to lack empathy. You can even see this when he plays with other children. This is an interesting experience for me because his mother is incredibly empathic, so there's quite the stark contrast between the two in my house.
If not empathy perhaps a useful word is compassion. Not pitty but compassion.
Actually, in our case it could be interchangeable. He's a wonderful kid who has likes and dislikes just as anyone else, but getting him to imagine the experience of life as someone else and realizing what they may be going through might be a challenge he'll have to deal with for a long time to come.
I am sure it will be a life long journey for all of you. We all have challenges that is not necessarily a bad thing but it can definitely be hard. I wish you all well.
That "two-eyes" attention. Love the post :) Empathy shines a light in the darkness!
Thanks! I agree. :)
Empathy is an amazing thing! I definitely think people can also learn to become more empathic
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