“Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience”
–The Holy Bible
Compassion is the direct offshoot of kindness, humility, gentle nature, and patience. When combined with each together in liberal measures, they bring forth an ounce of compassion. Though similarities occur between compassion and empathy, the trivial variations can have a large impact when applied.
Compassion involves an abundance of sentiments, thanks to the supportive strength of a human being. Tenderness and a profound understanding of accountability are integral parts of this trait. We can feel the motivation while easing a stressful situation instead of complicating the same.
Compassion teaches us to stay relaxed and use a command of our faculties when called for. Lack of restraint makes it inconceivable to attend to somebody else in need of support. In the similar situation, empathy more or less remains restricted to emotions and compassionate communication, not an actual, straightforward response. Exercising compassion would help us connect to the other person’s suffering as if it was our own. The feeling itself makes us sympathize and give guidance, advice, or motivation to help the individual find comfort or exercise greater control. To the employer or the one in power, the same sense of empathy may point the way to initiating needed adjustments. Those under our charge perform better upon our awareness of a problem. Such interaction conveys respect as one sees a calm hearing arising out of the listeners’ feelings of empathy.
“Friendship is a living thing that lasts only as long as it is nourished with kindness, empathy, and understanding”
–Unknown
Empathy and compassion appear as synonyms at frequent intervals. To a degree, the causes for such practice are acceptable. By searching for a broader glimpse into the implied characteristics of individual exigencies, it becomes very much clearer what to apply where.
Empathy is one of the most potent attributes of human impulse. It is a definite must for us to communicate better with the people under our care to help produce remarkable results. Teachers, guides, caregivers, speakers, coaches, trainers, and those in educational field thrive on the strength of their empathy. They not just influence the spirits of their subjects but also help build indelible memories that convey power for a lifetime.
Empathy results from patience. To promote this valuable virtue, we must use tolerance. The art of lending our ears to somebody in need and help reduce their trouble indicates empathy. It helps the person lighten his/her burden of worries and distress beyond measure.
Focusing on the human being who desires your kindness may not serve as empathy. Our personal behavior must correspond with our ethical responsibility to pay attention with no diversionary or distracting action/s.
Those gifted with empathy always make sure they comprehended whatever the other person was trying to convey. They do it by citing the last sentence in an approving fashion so the speaker knows of the attention. It guarantees the speaker the sounds out of his/her mouth gets noticed by the listener. When you turn off your cell phone and peer into the eyes of the speaker, it forms two-way interaction. It does not mean you should gaze at him/her. It creates reciprocity or, in plain terms, give-and-take! Soon you have managed that, offering comfort gets smoother.
Your encouraging words in the first person such as, ‘this is how I deal with such problems,’ hold enormous strength. Try to give an effective analysis to the equation instead of negative judgments on any contributory factors whether human or otherwise. Empathy does not mean passing resolutions as such abstain from the urge. When your primary purpose is to side with the individual in need, negativity will produce friction and haul him/her away. It is a sure-fire route to make a gulf of suspicion and runs counter to empathy.
Another excellent plan I found helps understand the fine art of empathy is by direct observation of others. Watch or associate with those experienced with related struggles and study how they deal with challenges. Learn from there. It offers us a variety of alternatives to deal with difficult times. Learning these characteristics first-hand helps us understand better since we could present a few realistic alternatives to ease the burden.
Higher the degree of emotional highs and lows we observe around us, more informed we grow with roller-coaster rides in people’s lives. Although it does not qualify us for an honorary degree or recognition but it still enables us to give temporary emotional support to the one in need. It will help you figure out their situation as if you stood in their shoes at that extended time.
Empathy involves the indisputable ability to make an average human love his/her individual life and produce the impulse to compete against misfortune. It offers indomitable courage to deal with challenges and come out a conqueror. The radical change occurs only because of your wisdom as the individual with command of empathy!
This is a humble effort on my part to bring the ideas together based upon experience. The intelligent, discriminating readers are welcome to voice their opinions, criticism, and/or disagreement to help me learn a bit more from their experiences.
In sales and leadership, having too much empathy can be a bad thing. In sales it leads to no sales. In leadership, empathy can distract and does result in poor decisions. Unlike empathy that focuses more on the mind and heart, compassion focuses more on the action someone takes. I never found that too much compassion as being a bad thing. It can get really annoying though.
Thanks Chris, for your excellent summation. It is a Universal fact that too much of anything is not good! Even good thoughts and good deeds need to be used in right proportion per given circumstances.