The Power of Empathy to Build Human Bridges, Not Walls

Over the years, I have come to understand that there is almost no force as transformative in the experience of humanity as the force of empathy. When you are empathetic, you tend to see and observe the world from a more open view which is different from your own perspective. That is, you tend to welcome people's view of the world and then understand their own stance about life generally. You do not judge people by what you have not experienced because if you experience some of what you judge people for, you might even do worse than them. Learn to show empathy to people.

The world is already diverse and divided along many lines, including religious, cultural, ethnic, political, and individual differences, but your act of empathy can build a human bridge and interconnect you with people. When people know that you will welcome their opinion, feel compassionate about them, and feel what they do, they will tend to be more drawn to you - this is how you build bridges between people. The truth is that there is no way you can attain the fullness of your dreams without the input of people, so you see why you need people. You have to build interpersonal bridges today because you might need them tomorrow.

It is worthy to note that empathy does not stop at just feeling sorry for someone's situation - that is just sympathy. Empathy goes way beyond that and also places yourself in the shoes of the other person just to feel what they feel and understand them well. I once saw a writeup on the door to one of the offices I once entered sometimes ago and it caught my attention. It read "if you have not walked a mile in my shoe, then you cannot judge my actions." The words struck me with the fact that you may really not understand the reason behind someone's action if you have not placed yourself in their shoes. At a point, you just need to look beyond bias, beyond sentiments, beyond judgement and even beyond prejudice, and understand what life's experiences can offer.

You have to understand that empathy is a core and fundamental requirement of humanity. Instead of having your focus predominantly on the things that separates us, why not focus more on what connects us - our shared humanity; which is founded on empathy? Building human bridges on empathy can be enhanced by a couple of things. For example; the way you relate with people as per communication. You may not have what to offer materially, but you can communicate an idea, a piece of advice, and kind words, etc, all these are ways to show empathy.

When we talk about empathy, we do not only mean giving tangible things, even though it is part of it, but there are lots of things that you can offer which cannot be bought with price but yet they are priceless. Sometimes ago, there was a project I was to execute but the way and manner to go about it was like a difficult task. After days of brooding over it without obvious headway, I decided to share it with my friend. Adorably, just a couple of advice and ideas from him was what gave me insight on what to do and I was able to execute the project. You see, he actually offered something beyond material things which I needed at that time - this is empathy.

In whatever you do that involves human relationship, you need to employ empathy. Not only does it strengthen the relationship and does good to the recipient, but it also enhances your own well-being - emotionally and mentally. There is a kind of feeling of goodness that is enhanced when you show empathy to someone. When you cause people to be happy or to smile, then the same feeling will also be replicated in your own life. By connecting with people and understanding their strengths and vulnerabilities, you will be able to treat them well and also enable you show kindness to them. In the world that is full of gross "anyhowness," your empathy can make a lot of difference in life and can even make someone feel better. It makes you a better person to be good.

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