(This can also be read on the CDT site here.)
Seven years ago, my family and I learned a life lesson in empathy. We realized that, just as no one around us could tell our idyllic family walk was actually to the hospital to learn whether I could survive my brain cancer, we too had no idea what invisible struggles anyone else faced. Ever since, we’ve strived to have empathy, knowing that we see only a small part of others’ lives.
Sometimes this comes through judgment. Dichotomizing into good and bad is easy, if not realistic. For example, an aggressive driver is easy to castigate, but not if the passenger had a heart attack. Likewise, there’s great difference between stealing for greed versus for starving children.
More often, signs of trouble are little to none. I have friends, and am sure we all do, who have gone years or decades quietly suffering from scars of abuse. These hidden burdens can range from devastating trauma to a rough day. Caring enough to check in with and try to understand and help one another can make all the difference.
If we try to empathize with one another, we will be able to help and build connections that can change lives. To spread this message, I’m shaving my head to donate my hair and reveal my unseen scars. I’m just a reminder, though – this isn’t about me; it’s about everyone we see each day whose life has so much more than we see.
This is the best thing I’ve read in the CDT in a very long time.