Empathy

The essential human skill is not domination it is empathy, without which how can we ever understand how another feels? If all we ever do is think of ourselves then what will the future hold for the human race? Annihilation. This is the only inevitable conclusion as we race full speed ahead, towards destruction.

Empathy is what prevents this from happening. It is something that is quite terrifying to see a lack of in some television shows such as Married at First Sight Australia. The cult addiction that my wife has been sucked into offers us a contestant by the name of Olivia, who happily confesses to having no empathy and it is terrifying to hear!

To consider not having any empathy towards the concerns of another is borderline personality disorder. Maybe it is a sociopath? Or Psychopath? I have no idea as to the exact term but it is worrying regardless as we need empathy in order to survive as a species and to offer up none is scary.

The example I have used is not exactly a real-world scenario and much of this and many other reality TV shows is crafted but you still have to take a step back. Is this the message that we want to present to the audience that being okay with having a lack of human compassion is okay, then I need to start packing my bags.

Empathy is key to the gift of life. To unlock the gift of cooperation and mutual desire to make a difference to the world, rather than simply being satisfied with taking what others have. It is something that I greatly hope never goes out of fashion and will be something I teach my children about.

When it comes to work it helps to consider the points of those around you. To see where they are at in their lives, careers and goals because as much as we are in the right place at the right time, it does not mean that the person opposite is in the same situation. They may have experienced a much more challenging few months.

It is something that happened to me today. I walked into a constructive disagreement with colleagues and then took the time to decompress and analyse afterwards with them. To look for the reasons why they came to that conclusion and I could only do that due to the consideration that I have empathy for others.

I was interested in understanding why they were not enthused to back the idea and were preaching apathy over investment. I wanted to delve into the details of why there was hesitation over the concept and why the fear existed in the first place, as it is easy to criticise but in reality that gets us nowhere, understanding is more important.

We need to consider where and how the opinions of others are formed and merely scorning them will get us nowhere. What is essential is the need to consider another point of view and that should be the case for our politicians but more often than not, empathy falls by the wayside of ambition.

Ambition is great as that is what drives us forward to the next levels of life. It helps us to reach new heights but it must always be checked against empathy and others around us.

There is always a chance to head up the mountain in a different direction but we need to be careful of who we climb over. We can of course climb over them but is that what we really want and if we all did that, then how would we reach the summit?

Inevitably we would come across a point in which the bodies were piled too high beneath our feet and should this be the case then we would become buried. Not the analogy that you typically wish to add to an article but I believe that sometimes, if the shoe fits then you need to wear it.

Empathy is essential to growth and learning how to navigate around pitfalls such as that which I outlined above. Whilst this is an unlikely scenario it does paint a picture of the world outside of empathy and the major pitfalls that could come upon us.

I prefer to consider a world of possibilities. One in which working with those around us to achieve our goals is the common cause, rather than simply accepting that we should step on the people around us to achieve our goals.

By being empathetic to the team around us we achieve more than we could do individually as we only have one pair of hands. Whilst I wish that I could be an Octopus at times, it is unlikely to happen anytime soon and I have to make do with the pair of hands that I have.

To make the most of the team and the people around you, you have to consider them and to do this effectively, you need to utilise empathy. This is key to success and how can you motivate a team and anyone else around you if you cannot put yourself in their shoes and endear trust?

I love empathy and whilst I considered it to be a superfluous Mum skill that I learned from one parent as an only child, it is something that in adult life is essential. It assists me in life. It supports me when I feel challenged or confused with any situation that is laid out in front of me.

Empathy is how we stop ourselves from picking up a brick and going wild on the world around us. It is a key component in our make-up and one that I will happily hold on to until the end of my days, as it will help me make connections with those around me, even after the children have committed me to the old people’s home.

The final thought here is as my Grandad taught me, always think of others first in life.