Empathy is to feel what another feels. It is to step into another’s skin, to absorb
their experiences and to have sympathy for both the joys and tragedies of
another’s life. Empathy is a natural,
biological process for most people, allowing us to learn through other’s
experience, to be like others, and to learn how to help others be like us.
Opposite: To see other’s actions analytically, without
feeling; to see other’s experiences as insignificant.
When I see someone in trouble, do I recognize that I could
be in the same place, if circumstances were different? Can I put myself in another’s place,
recognizing that their feelings and sorrows and joys are the same as mine? Do I
see myself in others around me and see them in me? Do I see others for my own amusement or as
tools to use for my own benefit? Or do I
recognize that we are all a part of each other, inseparable, no matter how we
disagree or become angry with each other?
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