"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle”
-Plato
This quote is well understood when you face such a situation in life. Isn’t it good if someone listens to you without judging anything and just trying to step into your shoes? If it feels good then why can’t we be the same towards others also?
‘Empathy’
may not just be listening and trying to understand others pain. Sometimes it
can be just lending your shoulder to cry on as solace. One may feel better just
by crying on your shoulder without even talking about one’s problem. In fact,
not forcing the other person to talk about their problems when they are not
willing to open up is also empathy.
We
never know what the other person is going through in his/her life. Like F. Scott
Fitzgerald said “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just
remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that
you've had.” They may be struggling in their personal lives more than you. And
just because someone doesn’t behave in a right manner, we can’t judge their
attitude. In such incidents only, our maturity should show up. The ability to
stay calm and understand the other person’s pain turns the negative situation
to a manageable one with the positive energy you generate by being empathetic.
To
be empathetic to others, one should be kind to himself first. Never talk
negative about yourself. The self-image you portray about yourself gives you
the poise and self-confidence which lead to higher level of maturity. When you
are confident about yourself, even though others behave rude to you, it won’t
hurt you. In fact, your thoughts try to cultivate in an empathetic manner
towards the other person as to try to understand the other person’s feelings in
a positive way. Hence being good to oneself is very important to be empathetic
to others.
Human
relations are very sensitive and be it personal or professional life, it is
important to maintain balance of mind while dealing with people. It all starts
from within you by loving and respecting yourself and then develops the ability
to perceive others’ feelings also on the same wavelength as of yours. So be
good, do good, say good and ultimately you will feel good J
