Recognizing the value of the experiences of other people, and looking at a situation from their vantage point, helps us to define solutions more accurately and grow together.
Empathy — the capacity, willingness and practice of considering another person’s experience and attempting to see things as they do — is often thought of as a feeling to experience instead of a skill to cultivate. Empathy is value placed on the understanding of another’s situation. It is half of the odd epoxy (along with self-interest) that binds community. Empathy keeps us good. Us as individuals and us as a whole. When we stop considering the impact of our actions on others, the consequences quickly become clear.
Empathy as a sense or capacity does not seem to be at a constant strength throughout one’s life. It starts minimally, grows (and sometimes peaks) in childhood, and at times seems to dull as our age and responsibilities climb. Like physical strength, it feels like it takes more and more vigilance to sustain an empathetic outlook as our worldview becomes more entrenched. Empathy can prove a frustrating foil to reasoned hypotheses. Some people seem more highly attuned to empathy or carry the inclination closer to the surface. Sometimes we just forget about it, or at least become less mindful of it.
Yet empathy is a critical capacity in so many areas of our lives.
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