Echoes of Empathy

Empathy is the art of walking a mile in someone else's shoes, even if they're three sizes too small and covered in glitter.“There is  nobility in compassion, beauty in empathy and grace in forgiveness.” Empathy is the most important ingredient to a good humane life. Compassion and forgiveness cannot happen without empathy. There’s something divine about the purity of this realization- the fact that one can perceive, understand and feel what another person is experiencing. Life is all about this mysterious connection with each other. This feeling of oneness. Of being one big family and experiencing what may be called universal consciousness. While one might understand empathy, it is common to confuse it with “sympathy”.  While sympathy refers to sincere concern for someone who is experiencing something painful, empathy refers to stepping into the shoes of the other person and looking at life from their perspective. Empathy can be from helping a dear one during their tough times by sharing your own experiences and understanding their challenges to looking at the world from the perspective of a five-year-old and helping them understand the little things in life. Life is like a necklace, full of colourful beads but what holds them together is the thread of empathy. Without a good quality thread, the beads scatter all around. Therefore It is one of the most essential charms in the life of a human being.

In today's rapidly advancing technological landscape, human connection has become increasingly scarce. The gap between people is increasing and the bonds are becoming superficial, instead of talking to one another now people prefer to find solutions off the net. Difficult to say if our virtual reality is taking over us or vice versa because reels and Instagram stories have engulfed our experiences and validation in the forms of likes, comments and forwards to decide our self-worth. People have lost touch with the idea of confiding with one another and creating meaningful connections. They are trying to cover up their problems by indulging in social media 24/7. Furthermore, it's vital to find the true meaning of empathy as it is a humane quality. It is what one feels through the heart and not through the mind.

Empathy serves as the cornerstone of human connection. It helps recognise the diversity within relationships and plays a crucial role in fostering understanding, compassion, and cooperation. Empathy promotes effective communication and conflict resolution helping build authentic relationships with people. It is evolving as a human being. It’s like fitting into a foreign mould and feeling like it’s your second skin. Empathy is regarded as a virtuous quality, it plays a significant role in shaping an individual's personality and influencing connections and interactions around them. It’s the ability to relate to and connect with people to empower and inspire their lives, helping address social issues, bridging gaps nurturing a more cohesive and supportive global community. 

Life is an enigma and a mystery unsolved. It’s not about just inhaling and exhaling but breathing the humanness. Reading the unwritten, listening to what hasn’t been spoken,  and feeling what hasn’t been expressed. A man without empathy is like music without rhythm, a canvas without colour and a body without a soul. Empathy is empowering to perceive and believe what the other says and wants. And when one believes then one achieves. Let’s just be empathetic and the rest like a consequential ripple effect will spread positivity, happiness and oneness.