There's so much buzz about the word" Empathy", wherever I go, in my school, neighborhood, community, friends, and family.
empathy
1
em·pa·thy ˈem-pə-thē
: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another
2
: the act of imagining one's ideas, feelings, or attitudes as fully inhabiting something observed (such as a work of art or natural occurrence)
Empathy was modeled on sympathy; it was coined in the early 20th century as a translation of the German Einfühlung (“feeling-in” or “feeling into”). First applied in contexts of philosophy, aesthetics, and psychology, empathy continues to have technical use in those fields that sympathy does not.
( As per Merriam-Webster)
This is what the dictionary says, but there's more glory to it than this, at least for many of us.
I feel empathy -
By reaching out to those who are too shy to ask for
By understanding that not all students love sharing their ideas, but that doesn't mean they understand less.
By creating safe spaces.
By accepting people as they are.
By not judging them (who am I to do that)?
By being sensitive to the situation of others.
By supporting communities irrespective of race, caste, color, creed, or nationality.
By letting others have their comfort zone, not be intrusive!
By being the voice of the voiceless!
By being an upstander, not a bystander.
When I see all the kids with the same lens, whether I know them or not.
when someone asks a sincere," How are you?"
When someone says a little prayer for me.
When everyone in the world will have at least a few morsels to eat!
I could go on, but I pause here, throwing this question to you- What is empathy to you?