Empathy

Empathy. Such a beautiful word. It implies so many things. Generosity, compassion, wisdom, a willingness to accept, and a willingness to change. All of these things are wrapped into this one beautiful word.

 When we are empathetic we are generous. It is the reaching out of ourselves to give time and attention to another living being. We are listening to another. The act of wanting to find out what is going on with another person is a generous act. Getting outside of our own world to find out who somebody else is love in action. And, it takes some work. When a friend is hurting and asking us to spend time with them it takes energy to break away from our routine to enter their world. This is an act of generosity.

 Empathy is compassionate. It is being willing to take into account the thoughts and feelings of others. When we are showing empathy towards others we need to take into account that this other living being is coming at life from a completely different perspective than we are. Their lens of the world is different than ours. And, because they grew up on planet earth they have been scarred by pain in their past. Everyone has pain of some kind. Empathy considers that this person we are connecting with has had this pain. Empathy loves them anyway. We become healers in the lives of others when we are showing empathy.

 Showing empathy towards another is wise. In order to really get out of ourselves and connect with another living soul we need to have lived a little bit. We need to have had some experiences in our own lives that have made us ready to be there for others. Our own  pain and life experiences have taught us to be wise. We have made lots of mistakes. Our mistakes have made us wise. When we can reach down into our past and truly access the feelings we will show wisdom. It is the feeling nature of our souls that will connect us to the soul of another. Feelings show wisdom. They imply a level of humility and vulnerability. The truly wise individual is one that knows how they can be hurt. When we know how we can be hurt, we will understand how another can be hurt. This is the point where empathy will connect us with another. Our wisdom has connected us. Our wisdom can heal another.

 Empathy gives us the opportunity to accept others, and to accept life exactly as it is. We are seeing the other person as being in the right place at the right time. We are meeting them where they are. We are accepting that their connection with us  has been a divine appointment. It is established before time began. It is this acceptance of the order of things that empowers empathy. We are accepting the process. We are accepting the process of all life as being perfect. We are accepting what our friend is saying to us. Our empathy is a statement to them that we accept what they are telling us as being true for them. It is accepting that what they are telling us is important to them. Truth is that we will never know how important this connecting is to them. Only they can tell us that. Our job is to accept, without judgment that it is critical for them to share with us. In accepting we aid in their healing, because we become expressions of a loving Creator to them.

 Empathy implies that we are willing to change. When we take into account the life of another we will learn something. And, sometimes what we learn from another will bring up things in our own life that we see we need to change ourselves. The person becomes a mirror, a reflection of the inner struggles in our own lives that may need some attention. To truly show empathy implies that you will need to wrestle and come to terms with difficult things. Painful things. Old things you thought you resolved already. It is not possible to show empathy for another, and yet ignore the issues that will come up in your own life. In this wrestling with oneself we will have shown empathy. We can speak from our own experiences. Our own experiences are powerful aids in our efforts to help other people.

 Empathy then becomes a gateway for your own healing. In your efforts to care about another you will have healed yourself a little bit. Empathy is a gift to yourself and to another. When we care about ourselves we can care for another. When we care for another we can care for ourselves. Empathy is the thing that binds us together. It is the power of love made manifest in our world. If we as humans could embrace empathy as a way of going through life just imagine the healing that could take place on this planet! I believe there are those among us who are this way. I believe that there are those who truly care, and are looking out for the well being of others. Keep looking. They are here. They are among us. We exist. The world is full of love. Empathy is love in action. Ultimately, we find that in empathy we become love itself.