Empathy

by

Bill Cottringer

Difficult to define,

But easier to see,

When it’s there,

Or when it’s not,

Like common sense,

Not being so common;

So many other things—

Love and understanding,

Sensitivity and sympathy,

Compassion and concern,

Being tender and kind,

merciful and tolerant 

For a start,

I's good listening,

with lack of biases,

judgments or labeling;

More attention to similarities,

much less on differences;

But also much more—

Seeing an ultimate truth:

From all the tempting illusions

Buried far below our minds:

and deep within our hearts,

Too important to miss.

The truth be known--

We are all connected

Together as one,

And not separate,

Or alone as it seems,

Because of mirrors.

But like a reflection,

From a mirror,

Hurt another person,

And you hurt yourself;

Why else the Golden Rule,

Because of the feeling.

Having this kind of empathy,

Takes great courage,

But worth the effort

As the only right answer,

To stopping the problems

Of violence, hurt and suffering;

Fortunately it’s contagious,

Once given to you,

Easy to give to others.

Through better listening.

For enjoyable commonalities

Less talking of annoying differences.

 Good sayings about empathy:

“The struggle of my life created empathy - I could relate to pain, being abandoned, having people not love me.” ~ Oprah Winfrey.

“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It's the impetus for creating change. ~Max Carver.

“When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That's when you can get more creative in solving problems.” ~ Stephen Covey.

“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.~ Mohsin Hamid.

“The opposite of anger is not calmness, it’s empathy.”~ Mehmet Oz.

“I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.”  ~Maya Angelou.

“I don't know if it is a spiritual, physiological or psychological phenomenon, but I believe now more than ever that singing is a universal, built-in mechanism designed to cultivate empathy and compassion.” ~Eric Whitacre

“Human morality is unthinkable without empathy.” ~Frans de Waal.

“A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain.”  ~Daniel Goleman.

“When you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you.” ~Susan Sarandon.

“Traits like humility, courage, and empathy are easily overlooked - but it's immensely important to find them in your closest relationships.” ~Laura Linney.

“A little anger is a good thing if it isn't on your own behalf, if it's for others deserving of your anger, your empathy.” ~David Simon.