Empathy.
If that word resonates with you in some way, I’d be honored if you continued to read this post.
The best way I can describe empathy is through shoes. However, it’s not as simple as just “walking in someone else’s shoes”. It’s different
than that. Because one, I don’t believe it is possible “to walk in someone else’s shoes” since you are not them and you only experience this life as you. Rather, by listening to one’s story, you are like a viewer watching a series. If you are paying attention (listening), as the person’s journey unfolds, you begin to notice nuances and maybe even patterns in their story. Empathy is the tool that is honed by attention and it is used to craft a similar type of shoe to the person you are listening to. The shoe will never be a perfect match, but the shoe you craft, based on the empathy you wield, will help you walk on the journey of that person’s story.
Everyone has a story. No one person’s story is more important or less important than someone else’s. In fact, the act of weighing the importance of one’s story compared to another’s story is pointless. It leads to nowhere. It serves no purpose other than to belittle yourself (victimize), belittles others (condescend), praises yourself (ego-stroke), or praise others (idolize). Rather, we should use our stories and listen to others’ stories to appreciate the uniqueness of being a human. We should use our stories and listen to others’ stories to see the humor in the paradox that, as individuals, we are uniquely different, yet together we are strikingly alike. It is the paradoxes of life that make it special, and empathy helps us realize all of this and more.
