Empathy

Two friends walking along a river bank, stopped for a moment to gaze at the water.

One man exclaimed, ‘Look at those fish, how they’re enjoying themselves!’

‘You aren’t a fish to know if they’re having a good time!’ questioned his friend.

‘You aren’t me either,’ replied the first one, ‘So how would you know that I don’t know the fish are having fun?’

We must know that others’ perceptions are as valid as ours. We must think about that before jumping to conclusions. While one is using feeling, the other is using logic. The first guy ends up turning logical on the rebound. Two types of empathy are seen here.

There are three types of empathy: cognitive, emotional and compassionate. Cognitive empathy employs thought, rather than feeling which is emotional empathy. Compassionate empathy makes for the right balance between logic and emotion.

We can feel another person’s pain, as if it was happening to us. At the same time, we can also remain in control of our own emotions, and apply reason to the situation. This will help us make better decisions and provide appropriate support when and where it is necessary.

Feel the empathy… and reason it out too

The right blend makes compassion true!

~ Pravin K Sabnis