Empathy – It Makes Things Better, Makes us Better

words Cheryl Guzman-Ng

empathy

/ˈɛmpəθi/

noun

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

It has been a crazy 2020 to say the least, and we are not even halfway through it. Life has been disrupted, and amidst this chaos, we have seen both the good and ugly side of people when it comes to self-preservation.

There are many articles and reports on what actions we can do to help ourselves and others. Social distancing, wash your hands, stay at home, social responsibility, stop hoarding etc. What all these precautions call for is one simple thing – empathy. More relevantly so, the third type of empathy, compassionate empathy.

According to Daniel Goldman, “With this kind of empathy we not only understand a person’s predicament and feel with them, but are spontaneously moved to help, if needed.” It calls for intellect, emotion, and action. 

The pandemic affects everyone to varying degrees from work, to social, and to family. 

Everyone is going through inconveniences and illnesses, and as much as we want people to recognise our predicaments, we also need to recognise others’. Chip in and help where we can. We can still play our part even if we cannot physically help those in need.

To hoard necessities is to deprive someone else of being able to have their share. To go out partying despite calls for social distancing, is to risk infecting other people, and that includes bringing the virus back to your loved ones. To try to own exclusive rights of possible vaccines or increase the value of medical supplies, is to deprive other people the right to recover or survive. 

With empathy, the healthcare worker who is exhausted is appreciated instead of being shunned. With empathy, companies would let their staff exercise work flexibility to care for the vulnerable at home. With empathy, we will be kinder and more patient with airline (or other) customer service people who are inundated with frantic calls every day.

The cure for the virus is a vaccine, but the cure for humanity has and will always be empathy.