Definition Essay: The Role Of Empathy In Our Life
The Webster Merriam Dictionary defines empathy as “the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions : the ability to share someone else's feelings”. All though the definition for empathy in the dictionary has some great points, over this past quarter I have learnt this simple word is so much more. Over the past 200,000 years when human life and speech ` evolved there has been so many discoveries that have changed our existence, and in more way than one empathy was brought up. Empathy occurs in our everyday life, it is always around us. In order for our human life to develop more and become stronger and more understanding to issues empathy needs to be embraced and brought to everyone's attention.
In ecological terms, the prefix em- means completely or on both sides. The suffix pathos means feeling. So, empathy is feeling with people. The definition of empathy I choose to live by is “to put yourself at the same emotional state as someone else for their benefit.” I choose this because empathy to me is more than just a feeling that someone else is feeling. To me, empathy is feeling what someone else is feeling so they don’t feel alone. It’s doing it so they know that you’ve been there too, unlike sympathy which is feeling something for someone, and driving disconnection. Empathy is sharing a feeling with …show more content…
someone and fuelling connection.
Empathy is important for human existence because empathy is the route of good, while a lack of empathy is the route of evil.
This is proven true in the case of some criminals. If one is thinking about how what he or she is doing impacts or affects the world and people around them, that shows that they have empathy. A criminal thinking about the innocent people who might lose something important, they’re less likely to commit a crime. If the person doesn’t think or care about how the outcomes of their actions impact the people and things in the world around them, they might not feel guilty committing even the most horrific of
crimes.
Like many others, empathy is something we are taught when we’re young and never really think about deeply. Many little sayings and phrases we learn dating back as far as we can remember aren’t really thought about or corrected ever again. It’s the small actions we do that make all the difference without us even thinking about it. For example, most children are taught the saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” When you really think about it, this phrase isn’t true at all. More often than not, people of any and every age are hurt by words, not objects, and sometimes, when they’re the right ones, words can hurt more than any object.
Another saying is “I am rubber, you are glue. Whatever you say to me, sticks to you.” This phrase in some cases isn't always true. When someone says something hurtful, but doesn’t have any empathy they won’t be hurt by it. They won’t feel guilt. Worst of all, they won’t even think about or care if it hurt you.
On top of the aforementioned, the Golden Rule also isn’t as trustworthy as you’d think. “Treat others as you’d want to be treated” isn’t how you should treat others at all. If one always thinks that how they wanted to be treated is how they should treat others, then they’re being selfish, not selfless. Instead, treat others how they want to be treated. This way, you aren’t thinking of yourself before thinking of others. The best way to do that is simply to ask. Then, you can make sure you’re treating them how they want to be treated.
As stated by Brené Brown in her video on empathy, there are four qualities of empathy. The first quality is perspective taking. Perspective taking is the ability to take the perspective of another person or recognize their perspective as their truth. The second quality is staying out of judgement. Although hard for some of us, staying out of judgement is listening to the other person’s story with an open mind, not judging a word they say. It’s important not to judge when trying to exert empathy because when you judge someone, you can’t take their perspective if you think it’s “off” or “wrong.” The third quality is recognizing emotion in people. You must be able to tell how someone feels about something to be able to feel the way that they do. The fourth and last quality is communicating. If you aren’t able to communicate your empathy well, the receiver will question if it’s empathy or sympathy.
One example I feel is a strong example of empathy in action is the poem “Making Sarah Cry.” The poem is about a girl who gets teased everyday by an unknowing boy and his friends on the playground. The boy and his friends have no empathy and don’t care that Sarah always cries. They consider it a game. Then one day, one of the boys gets hit by a car when he’s on his bike. After he returns from two months in the hospital, he expects everything to go back to normal, and it does, until recess. When he goes outside with his friends, they call him things like a freak and ugly. The boy finally understood what Sarah felt. After a while of tormenting, Sarah, full of empathy, came up behind him and said “Leave him alone.” She had known how it feels to be teased like that. The boys then began to torment Sarah again. For a few days, they both took the boys’ teasing and tormenting, until they decided to accept Sarah and the boy. I believe that is empathy because Sarah saw the boy in a low place that she knew she had been in and stood up for him, showing him that he wasn’t alone.
Another example of empathy in action is the article “Worth the Wait.” This article is about a boy named Ben Comen, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP).
CP is a disease that doesn’t mess with intellect, but seizes muscles and contorts the body, also impacts balance. Despite this disease, Ben is on the track team, and runs with the rest of the boys, though CP makes him not the best runner. He has never won a race or beaten anyone, and doesn’t usually finish a race without blood and bruises, yet he still persists. I believe that this is empathy because though he never wins and takes a long time to finish, and usually not in good condition, the people in the crowd wait and cheer so loud they lose their voice, and clap so hard they hurt their wrists.
In the article, “Regular Kids,” a story is told about a boy named Louis Cruz. He was diagnosed with a joint defect called Arthrogryposis, which causes clubbed hands and feet. When he was young, he used to never leave the house, except when he was with his parents. He had always been afraid of what people would say, think, or do. When Louis finally got up the courage to go out all by himself, he was shocked to see people just walking up to him and starting conversations. Now, he is more confident and more often than not goes out alone or just with his friends. This shows empathy in action because everyone treated Louis how he’d always wanted to be treated. Like a normal person.
The famous article “Someone to Lean On,” tells the story of a boy named Radio. Radio is an eighteen year old boy that is mentally slow. When a high school football coach saw him on the sidelines, calling out made up commands to an invisible team, he automatically saw it was distracting the team. Instead of yelling at Radio, the coach called him down to the field. From then on, Radio was at every single game, except one. The one he missed, the team lost. He is now a very big part of that team, and all of the players love him. This is empathy in action because even though Radio can’t read or write, and can’t speak very clearly, the team loves and accepts him.
Most people recognize the name “Superman,” yet not as many know the name “Christopher Reeve.” Christopher Reeve is the actor who played Superman in the original movie. In the article “Man of Steel,” the story is told of the accident that occurred in Christopher Reeve’s life. On May 27th, 1995, he was riding his horse when his horse got spooked and Reeve went flying, into the mud. Then and there, he broke his spinal cord, permanently paralyzing him. A while after, he started talking at benefits, and created the “Christopher Reeve Foundation.” He has raised $2 million for charity. I believe this is empathy in action because Christopher Reeve is raising money for paralysis and spinal cord injury research, to help other people who are paralyzed like him.
My last example of empathy in action is in the movie The Elephant Man. In the movie, John Merrick, a severely deformed British man, goes from a slave at a sideshow, to one of Britain’s celebrities. This transformation is all with the help of Doctor Frederick Treves. Dr. Treves heard about the Elephant Man and had a little scout look around Britain to find this oddity. When he did, Dr. Treves noticed Merrick’s harsh and horrific living conditions and brought him to the hospital for research. He even brought John to his own house for a little while, eventually securing a room for John at the hospital. Madge Kendal, a very famous actress at the time, befriended John, and eventually, every famous person wanted to. John soon became one of the most famous people in Britain. This shows empathy in action because Dr. Treves and Madge Kendal felt empathetic towards John Merrick, and so they were kind to him, knowing that most were not.
Throughout the past eight weeks, I have heard and seen many different stories and videos and even read books on empathy. Yet, my favorite one is the first one I heard. The resource that impacted me the most is Mr. Livingston’s story about Chelsea Cohen. Chelsea was a girl who was diagnosed with cancer in High School, yet with help from Mr. Livingston, graduated as the valedictorian of her class. This impacted me and my thinking about empathy because it was more tied to reality. This story isn’t just a reading in a packet or a video on a screen. This story is personal, and so close to home that one of the characters is our very own teacher.
In conclusion, empathy is much more than a dictionary definition. It is a feeling, it is a state of mind, and it is a way of life. Becoming an empathetic person is more than feeling what someone else is feeling. It’s opening your mind to someone else’s. It is connecting with someone emotionally, and it is showing someone they’re not alone which is easier said than done. Though it is hard to do, there still are people in this world who are empathetic people. If you try hard, you could be one, too.
In ecological terms, the prefix em- means completely or on both sides. The suffix pathos means feeling. So, empathy is feeling with people. The definition of empathy I choose to live by is “to put yourself at the same emotional state as someone else for their benefit.” I choose this because empathy to me is more than just a feeling that someone else is feeling. To me, empathy is feeling what someone else is feeling so they don’t feel alone. It’s doing it so they know that you’ve been there too, unlike sympathy which is feeling something for someone, and driving disconnection. Empathy is sharing a feeling with …show more content…
someone and fuelling connection.
Empathy is important for human existence because empathy is the route of good, while a lack of empathy is the route of evil.
This is proven true in the case of some criminals. If one is thinking about how what he or she is doing impacts or affects the world and people around them, that shows that they have empathy. A criminal thinking about the innocent people who might lose something important, they’re less likely to commit a crime. If the person doesn’t think or care about how the outcomes of their actions impact the people and things in the world around them, they might not feel guilty committing even the most horrific of
crimes.
Like many others, empathy is something we are taught when we’re young and never really think about deeply. Many little sayings and phrases we learn dating back as far as we can remember aren’t really thought about or corrected ever again. It’s the small actions we do that make all the difference without us even thinking about it. For example, most children are taught the saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” When you really think about it, this phrase isn’t true at all. More often than not, people of any and every age are hurt by words, not objects, and sometimes, when they’re the right ones, words can hurt more than any object.
Another saying is “I am rubber, you are glue. Whatever you say to me, sticks to you.” This phrase in some cases isn't always true. When someone says something hurtful, but doesn’t have any empathy they won’t be hurt by it. They won’t feel guilt. Worst of all, they won’t even think about or care if it hurt you.
On top of the aforementioned, the Golden Rule also isn’t as trustworthy as you’d think. “Treat others as you’d want to be treated” isn’t how you should treat others at all. If one always thinks that how they wanted to be treated is how they should treat others, then they’re being selfish, not selfless. Instead, treat others how they want to be treated. This way, you aren’t thinking of yourself before thinking of others. The best way to do that is simply to ask. Then, you can make sure you’re treating them how they want to be treated.
As stated by Brené Brown in her video on empathy, there are four qualities of empathy. The first quality is perspective taking. Perspective taking is the ability to take the perspective of another person or recognize their perspective as their truth. The second quality is staying out of judgement. Although hard for some of us, staying out of judgement is listening to the other person’s story with an open mind, not judging a word they say. It’s important not to judge when trying to exert empathy because when you judge someone, you can’t take their perspective if you think it’s “off” or “wrong.” The third quality is recognizing emotion in people. You must be able to tell how someone feels about something to be able to feel the way that they do. The fourth and last quality is communicating. If you aren’t able to communicate your empathy well, the receiver will question if it’s empathy or sympathy.
One example I feel is a strong example of empathy in action is the poem “Making Sarah Cry.” The poem is about a girl who gets teased everyday by an unknowing boy and his friends on the playground. The boy and his friends have no empathy and don’t care that Sarah always cries. They consider it a game. Then one day, one of the boys gets hit by a car when he’s on his bike. After he returns from two months in the hospital, he expects everything to go back to normal, and it does, until recess. When he goes outside with his friends, they call him things like a freak and ugly. The boy finally understood what Sarah felt. After a while of tormenting, Sarah, full of empathy, came up behind him and said “Leave him alone.” She had known how it feels to be teased like that. The boys then began to torment Sarah again. For a few days, they both took the boys’ teasing and tormenting, until they decided to accept Sarah and the boy. I believe that is empathy because Sarah saw the boy in a low place that she knew she had been in and stood up for him, showing him that he wasn’t alone.
Another example of empathy in action is the article “Worth the Wait.” This article is about a boy named Ben Comen, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP).
CP is a disease that doesn’t mess with intellect, but seizes muscles and contorts the body, also impacts balance. Despite this disease, Ben is on the track team, and runs with the rest of the boys, though CP makes him not the best runner. He has never won a race or beaten anyone, and doesn’t usually finish a race without blood and bruises, yet he still persists. I believe that this is empathy because though he never wins and takes a long time to finish, and usually not in good condition, the people in the crowd wait and cheer so loud they lose their voice, and clap so hard they hurt their wrists.
In the article, “Regular Kids,” a story is told about a boy named Louis Cruz. He was diagnosed with a joint defect called Arthrogryposis, which causes clubbed hands and feet. When he was young, he used to never leave the house, except when he was with his parents. He had always been afraid of what people would say, think, or do. When Louis finally got up the courage to go out all by himself, he was shocked to see people just walking up to him and starting conversations. Now, he is more confident and more often than not goes out alone or just with his friends. This shows empathy in action because everyone treated Louis how he’d always wanted to be treated. Like a normal person.
The famous article “Someone to Lean On,” tells the story of a boy named Radio. Radio is an eighteen year old boy that is mentally slow. When a high school football coach saw him on the sidelines, calling out made up commands to an invisible team, he automatically saw it was distracting the team. Instead of yelling at Radio, the coach called him down to the field. From then on, Radio was at every single game, except one. The one he missed, the team lost. He is now a very big part of that team, and all of the players love him. This is empathy in action because even though Radio can’t read or write, and can’t speak very clearly, the team loves and accepts him.
Most people recognize the name “Superman,” yet not as many know the name “Christopher Reeve.” Christopher Reeve is the actor who played Superman in the original movie. In the article “Man of Steel,” the story is told of the accident that occurred in Christopher Reeve’s life. On May 27th, 1995, he was riding his horse when his horse got spooked and Reeve went flying, into the mud. Then and there, he broke his spinal cord, permanently paralyzing him. A while after, he started talking at benefits, and created the “Christopher Reeve Foundation.” He has raised $2 million for charity. I believe this is empathy in action because Christopher Reeve is raising money for paralysis and spinal cord injury research, to help other people who are paralyzed like him.
My last example of empathy in action is in the movie The Elephant Man. In the movie, John Merrick, a severely deformed British man, goes from a slave at a sideshow, to one of Britain’s celebrities. This transformation is all with the help of Doctor Frederick Treves. Dr. Treves heard about the Elephant Man and had a little scout look around Britain to find this oddity. When he did, Dr. Treves noticed Merrick’s harsh and horrific living conditions and brought him to the hospital for research. He even brought John to his own house for a little while, eventually securing a room for John at the hospital. Madge Kendal, a very famous actress at the time, befriended John, and eventually, every famous person wanted to. John soon became one of the most famous people in Britain. This shows empathy in action because Dr. Treves and Madge Kendal felt empathetic towards John Merrick, and so they were kind to him, knowing that most were not.
Throughout the past eight weeks, I have heard and seen many different stories and videos and even read books on empathy. Yet, my favorite one is the first one I heard. The resource that impacted me the most is Mr. Livingston’s story about Chelsea Cohen. Chelsea was a girl who was diagnosed with cancer in High School, yet with help from Mr. Livingston, graduated as the valedictorian of her class. This impacted me and my thinking about empathy because it was more tied to reality. This story isn’t just a reading in a packet or a video on a screen. This story is personal, and so close to home that one of the characters is our very own teacher.
In conclusion, empathy is much more than a dictionary definition. It is a feeling, it is a state of mind, and it is a way of life. Becoming an empathetic person is more than feeling what someone else is feeling. It’s opening your mind to someone else’s. It is connecting with someone emotionally, and it is showing someone they’re not alone which is easier said than done. Though it is hard to do, there still are people in this world who are empathetic people. If you try hard, you could be one, too.