Adversity has the potential to give us empathy. If we allow it to, it can help us to see the world in a whole new light. Experiencing our own fragility and vulnerability helps us to see how fragile and vulnerable others are. This experience, if we are conscious enough and willing enough, can actually increase…
Tag: empathy
Offering Comfort
When we see that someone is vulnerable and in pain, we have a choice to make. We can either choose to ignore them, comfort them, or attack them in their moment of weakness. It may seem obvious which choice will lead to the most good for that person, but life does not always provide us…
Empathy For Other
We cannot claim to have empathy while also claiming to not understand why others have different beliefs, opinions, and values than us. We cannot claim compassion while also claiming ignorance of the other. If we cannot imagine how and why someone sees the world from a different perspective than we do, we cannot say that…
Compassionate Understanding
Compassion is the decision to understand even if we do not agree. Sometimes, in fact, compassion is needed most when we disagree most. We do not have to approve of a person’s beliefs, words, or actions in order to feel for them. Compassion does not require our consent. It requires our understanding. Care, concern, and…
Looking For Strength In Others
It is quite possible that the things that bother us most about others are actually their strengths. As we get to know people, certain qualities in their character, personality, and demeanor begin to stand out. We start to notice patterns of attitude, belief, and behavior, that seem to repeat over and over again. Inevitably, over…