There are many people out there that talk about empathy and how it is important to feel empathy for people; however, people do not act on the empathy they know they should be showing to others. Think about walking down the sidewalk and you see a child fall and skin their knee, you feel bad that they fell; however, many people would just walk on by. Instead of walking by, take some time to stop and see if that child is alright.
Take the time to stop and help the homeless that many people look down upon because they do not have the same luxuries that they may have. These are people as well. Human beings that should all be treated as such. Just because someone’s lifestyle is different than your own, does not mean that they should not be shown empathy throughout their daily lives. You never know what that person is going through and even the slightest act of kindness can impact their life in the most positive way.
There are many ways in which you can go about the day showing empathy for others. Empathy does not even have to be shown through the sad times either.
There are many times throughout the day that you can be happy that someone got the promotion that they have been wanting. They share the exciting news with you as they are so overjoyed themselves.
You can tell them congratulations and other kind words to let them know that you are proud of what they have accomplished. It is important that you are happy for them and their accomplishments and not try to tell them something negative such as, “You were just next in line” or “you didn’t really need to work for that promotion.”
If you have nothing nice to say then keep your comments to yourself. There are so many things that the person could have sacrificed that you are not aware of at that time. Be supportive of that person when you feel they need the support, good or bad.
Be the bigger person, show your support, and put your personal feelings aside for that time. Being able to show empathy even when you think you deserved the promotion over the other person for example, shows the strength of your own character which speaks volumes.
If everyone did just one thing to help someone throughout their day, every day, the world would be a better place to live.
People would become united together and less people would feel alone. Empathy for others is such a powerful emotion that can be acted upon that can greatly impact the lives of others. Treat people as you would like to be treated is a great value to live by. We as people can provide hope for others across our communities through small or large acts of kindness to help people through tough times. Think back to what communities do when a natural disaster tears through a community or even a whole state.
There are heroic stories that are shared across social media and news platforms across the country and sometimes worldwide. Those are just the highlights of people showing and acting on the empathy that they are feeling for that community.
There are so many other people working behind the scenes to assist that community in the fight to save lives and care for those that have been rescued and lost everything. Being able to show empathy to others is one part of the battle. The other part is acting on those emotions and helping out those that need it most.
