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Wednesday, July 13, 2011


The Power of Empathy

Imagine a world in which people interacted with each other like ants or fish. Imagine a day at work or in your family when you are only aware of the surface behaviour of the people around you but oblivious to their inner life while they remain unmoved by your own.

That's a world without empathy. To me, it sounds like a horror film.

Without empathy, there can be no real love, compassion, kindness or friendship. Empathic breakdowns shake the foundation of a relationship. You just need to recall a time when you felt misunderstood or even worse, a time when those around didn’t care to understand you. What happened to those relationships now?

Empathy gives you a feeling for what it's like to be another person. When you are empathic, even quietly and tacitly, that tells the other person that he or she exists for you as a being. That's usually what people want to know most; it's more fundamental than whatever topic is on the table.

The essence of empathy is to put yourself in another person's shoes and experience what the other is thinking or feeling. 

Empathy is soothing, calming, bridge-building; when it's present, it's much easier to work through things. Empathy gives us lots of useful information, like what's most important to others or what's really bothering them.

Empathy is not an agreement or approval. We can tune into someone who hurts us or who is irritating; we're not waiving our rights! Nor do we have to solve the other person's problem. Empathy is completely natural. As we evolved, our brain developed empathy that simulates the actions, emotions and thoughts of others. For example, when we experience an emotion, a part of our brain lights up and remarkably, when we see that same emotion in others, that same part of our brain is activated as well. The result is we get a taste of what they're feeling. We are born empathic.

Being empathic means tuning into the other party’s breathing, posture, gestures and actions; to imagine what it would feel like to move our own body in the same ways and to ask ourselves what we would be feeling if we were them.

Through empathy, we may closely identify ourselves with anyone we wish to understand. Through the power of our imagination, empathy enables us to project into the consciousness of others know how they think and how they feel. The practice of empathy will greatly enhance relationships and create understanding, resonance and harmony.

Another way to show empathy is that of giving an empathy response. Empathy responses are ways showing the other person that that we understand and can relate to their situation, particularly on an emotional level.  Its effectiveness depends on the extent to which we can show the other person that we do understand. 

Empathy allows us to develop a deep comprehension for the problems of others, especially those of the suffering and the defeated. It paves the way for further development and compassion, allow for healing, tolerance and forgiveness.

Empathy is essential. Empathy makes us great as a human being. Empathy is a bigness of heart that allows one human being to touch another in the deepest and truest sense of the word. It is the foundational basis for showing compassion and further acts of kindness.

Empathy is a kind of mindfulness practice, sustaining attention this time to someone else's inner world. And when it's your turn to receive empathy, you'll know better what it is you are asking for.

Remember, the best way to get empathy is to simply give it.

~~~ Stay Positive! Stay Happy! ~~~
01:23

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