Empathy In Times Of Trouble

The world seems a better place during the time of need and suffering. We are all looking for the connection to relate to each other, to support each other, to pass what is happening. Our question is how we are able to really connect with each other and make it a lasting effect?

This is a question most empathic people wonder about. How can we make the good vibes last? Our first thought is to understand what empathy really is and how it starts. The first rule of empathy is simple and is covered here.

Transcript

Empathy in times of trouble.

The world seems a better place during the time of need and suffering like we are in now.

We are all looking for the connection to relate to each other,

To support each other.

And we all want to go through it and let it pass what is happening.

Our whole question is how we are able to really connect with each other and make it a lasting effect.

This is a question most empathic people wonder about.

How can we make the good vibes last?

Our first thought is to understand what empathy really is and how it starts.

The first rule of empathy is simple and covers most of the meaning.

Do to others what you wish to happen to yourself.

And the meaning is clear.

You know what you want to happen to yourself,

What you like,

What you want and what you really need.

But do you really know that?

Will you like it when a person points you to your mistakes and weaknesses?

Do you appreciate a critical remark on your performances?

Are you a person who needs cheers and compliments to keep moving?

Suddenly we realize that empathy is not such an easy topic.

Empathy is an emotional movement to feel an emotional connection with humans regardless their expression,

Talk,

Actions and looks.

That emotional connection should be positive in nature and powerful.

Most interesting is the fact that empathy is a self-rewarding status,

Not a social status waiting for feedback of others.

People with a high level of empathy also have a deeper understanding of how others feel as they have the ability of stepping in the shoes of the other person to feel what they feel.

This raises the question if an empathic person also can feel when the other person is a bad or a negative personality.

The answer to this is that an empathic person can feel and experience the negative mind as it is,

One of their own.

It often delivers them a sad feeling,

Sometimes a sudden emotional setback.

This leads to the question if an empath is also a person with a high level of empathy and expression thereof.

The answer is that we have two extreme levels and everything between it where the empath is functioning.

An introvert empath is able to feel what others feel and can go nearly inside the head of the other person but is not able to express that to others.

This introversion of empathy is complicated and can lead to depression when surrounded with many negative people.

Due to the inability of expression of what they feel it is a rather isolating life.

The extrovert empath is able to convert what it feels of others into words,

Emotions or actions and mirror what is it experiencing.

There are many shapes of empaths in between who are all experience the empathy in their own personal way and reflected differently.

On the other side there are people who have a complete lack of empathy and often called sociopaths or in a more extreme form the psychopaths.

Nearly everybody has some form of empathic feeling as we are human.

The human being needs the feeling of empathy to survive in groups.

As a child we develop empathy due to what we see,

Feel,

Hear and touch.

Children who are cuddled,

Have a warm relationship with their parents or caretakers develop a strong level of empathy and are able to be good and sincere lovers and partners.

This implies also that empathy is developed by experience and not as a knowledge only.

Empathy can only grow if we experience it on a regular basis.

Emotions and interactions influence the development of the power of empathy and the ability connect with others.

But empathy is also subject to validation in different circumstances.

During times of high economic development,

Social welfare and prosperity the level and interaction of empathic level is often low and sometimes even lost.

When suddenly bad times occur there is a direct move to empathy and interaction,

A need to look for support.

This is our animal instinct as we know that we need other people to survive as an individual has a lesser chance to do that.

Empathy creates hope,

Sympathy,

Care and other feelings that are needed to connect with others.

It pops up like a fire in most people.

Even more interestingly is the fact that we look over the family barrier towards others who are less near.

When something of impact happens in society that affects a large group the effect is imminent.

The first group to react are the people in professions selected for their social and empathic abilities such as firemen,

Nurses and doctors,

Police and others.

When professionals start to act the people react.

Although many people think that professionals act purely from received orders they forget the fact that each of them is selected by a human resource manager who used empathy as a selection criteria.

Each professional must have a higher than usual level of empathy to function well in their profession.

When you look at the movies the impression is created that care professionals only act from a financial point of view which is totally not true and in fact it is false information.

The bad cops and the bad function professionals are rare and a fraction of the people who do their work with devotion and compassion.

When lecturing about this topic I ask the students to look around for more empathic jobs in society and they start with the healthcare and move on to the jobs we hardly ever see as empathic important jobs.

A few samples of these jobs are for instance a help desk employee,

A secretary,

Shop employees,

Hall center assistants and even other jobs that has the interaction between people or people and organizations.

Empathy is the ability to understand a person to translate it to other persons or situations.

In fact it is the ability to translate a feeling into an action or reaction.

After the professionals did act it is time for the common people to start their action as a reaction on the event.

The reaction caused support toward the group which has hit bad and others in less strong or even weaker positions.

Most interesting is the fact that empathy often is so called downward direction.

We help people who are in a worse situation than we are in.

Empathy prevents us to benefit from our position to crush the weaker.

This makes us different from the animals.

If we look at nature itself we discover that true nature has no empathy for anything.

Our nature destroys the weak by all means to keep it strong and make them stronger.

Nature knows really no empathy.

We have to counteract nature here to survive as humanity can conspire against the nature we cherish so much.

For many people this part will be very hard to understand that we are part of nature and in this case we have to work against nature.

It doesn't feel natural but it is.

Can we grow empathy on earth?

Empathy is something we learn by experience and can grow through experience.

It is important we realize how we can develop it to a higher level.

From the former you did already learn that many people are daily work with empathy and that we have a strong foundation in society for it.

Look at the different TV charity shows and the money that is donated.

All these donations are a little sum to buy off our conscious and show empathy without taking much action on a personal level.

The donations are given in trust for action.

We expect the receiver will use it for the goal they advertise with.

This trust used to be unlimited until bad elements did broke it by stealing and cheating.

But the trust is still there and when something serious is happening there is a response of the people who show some form of empathy.

People are empowered by negative events.

They seek shelter in cooperation and having the same goal.

When people are in the same situation the blood start to flow in the same direction.

Yes there are always elements who will work against it,

Disturb the harmony and even will do all to upset others and even block to reach our destiny.

Again that is nature.

The tests of nature are profound,

Hard and really never fair.

To understand the power of empathy you have to pass through the valley of pain and despair,

Walk the mountains of hope and glory and swim the rivers for the sea and finally to land in the destiny land of peace and happiness.

That all comes with struggle,

Understanding and the will to open yourself up for others and deny some the interest or attention they demand from you.

Empathy comes with choices and a focus on what is good and right in your eyes.

It is a personal choice.

If you want to build your personal empathy you have to make choices in people,

Situations and delete negative elements.

To success as an empathic person your choices will give limitations and restrictions but will open a world that is most beautiful,

Engaging and most rewarding.

After all life is not about what you have but what you leave behind.

Your traces on earth are measured by the deeds you did and looking back on your life when you ruled is giving you a right impression of a life lived,

A destiny fulfilled and the satisfaction you deserve.

An empathic person can die in peace and leave peace behind.

This is a lecture of Arnart van de Weer from the Netherlands.

This time I don't use questions and answer as an end because I want you to ask the questions and think.

If empathy can save the world how about you?

Reviews

This is an important message for all.
I really appreciate this, thank you!

So many excellent points about the place and the importance of empathy, thank you!!