What the World Needs

In our success-oriented, social media-driven world, speed is everything. We have to get places fast and find answers immediately. We fill our days with what will benefit or entertain us.

But there is an important thing missing and that is empathy. Empathy is the ability to feel with and care about other people. It goes against our tendency to ignore others in our desire to succeed and our preoccupation with the latest news or gossip item on our iPhone.

It takes time to look into other people’s eyes and really see them. It takes time to listen to another’s agonizing stories and respond with loving concern. It may even inconvenience us to find something for them or run an errand.

What kind of world do we want to pass on to our children? Do we want them to see us rush from one thing to another, unseeing and uncaring? Or do we want them to see us take time to listen to them and care about others’ needs?

Empathy is especially important in the classroom, restaurants, and care homes. Some teachers just want to finish the chapter; others stop and take notice of children who require special attention. There are waiters/waitresses who wait impatiently for our order and those who smile and ask if there is anything else we need. There are nurses and doctors whose clients are just a case, not a real person who needs to know what is wrong in plain language.

Empathy is not something that’s taught, but rather something that’s caught. There is no roadmap or plan to guide us. We just need to mentally put ourselves in the other’s shoes and feel their pain or sadness. We might need to waste a little time with those we encounter, letting them know they are important and valuable no matter how old or handicapped they are, giving them a smile or even a hug, making their day brighter and their world more livable.

 


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