I remember during my senior year of high school, one of the most common scholarship and college application questions I would get was, “What sets you apart from others?” People often resort to answers of motivation or determination, sometimes they reference how they have overcome what seemed to be insurmountable hardships. As good as these answers are, my response was somewhat different. I always answered that my ability to empathize was what truly made me unique.
I was standing on the soccer field with my coach after a tough loss during my senior year of high school when my coach looked me in my eyes and said, “Alex, you have a stronger ability to empathize with others than any person I know, young or old.” In the moment, I was slightly confused. I understood what empathy was, but I didn’t quite understand why it was so important to have. Yet over time, my understanding has developed.
Empathy is a special characteristic because it can serve as a catalyst for eliminating so many negative emotions and feelings. Empathy is one’s ability to understand how a person is feeling and feel what they are. It can stop arrogance and limit one’s ability to judge an individual harshly. Quite honestly, it helps humble a person and makes them realize that they are not alone in this world.
So why do I bring this up you ask? Well, I think many of us lack empathy. People may argue against this due to our generation’s push for inclusivity and equal rights, however I would argue back that this is more representative of sympathy. Empathy is so much more than sympathy in that one does not just feel sorrow or pity for another, but they step away from their personal views and see from the eyes of another. Sympathy can be sincere, but it can also be demeaning and careless. I think people in today’s society, specifically people of our age, need more empathy. It is so easy to make assumptions of someone else’s life when looking from the outside in. Sometimes all it takes is a change of perspective and trying to step inside to take a look out. then you could see and feel as they do.
Since high school, I have seen my empathy diminish as well and I am hoping to return to the spot I was in when I was a high school senior. We all should consider Maya Angelou’s words – “I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.” Be courageous and step out of your box. It could do you a whole world of good.
Alex,
Empathy is definitely one of the most important traits any person can have, I strongly believe if the whole world was empathetic it would have been a very different place in my view an even better world than we have now. Empathy is very powerful, I for one always try to think of others other than myself, put myself in their shoes and try to be there when they need a helping hand. I find that it has helped me build strong relationships that I would have otherwise never had if I had not been empathetic with others.
Hey Alex,
Awesome post. I find what you’re saying eye-opening and touches on a topic that I don’t know much about. I remember in English classes growing up learning the differences between the definitions of empathy and sympathy but I never fully saw the different affects those two traits had. What you’re saying is true; our generation does a great job at sympathizing with others but lacks the ability to truly understand the problems of others. Possibly you could argue that sympathy is almost selfish in a way, while empathy is the opposite. I particularly like what you said about empathy being a humbling trait and how it limits arrogance. In my opinion, empathy is a very mature trait to have in that it shows you realize each individual person has their own life that is just as complex and complicated as your own.
-Fred