Some has made the wise observation that a man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.
Such a man is self-centred.
The dimensions of his life are dwarfed and limited.
The practice of empathy makes a man other-centred.
Through the power of his creative imagination empathy enables him to project himself into the consciousness of others that he may know how they think and how they feel.
Sympathy merely mirrors another man’s trouble; empathy discovers the causes of the trouble with the searchlight of insight.
Through empathy a man comes to appreciate another person’s feelings without becoming so emotionally involved that his judgment is affected.
Through empathy a man learns not to judge others in terms of his own personal interests, likes and dislikes, but in terms of what life means to them.
The Sioux Indians expressed the attitude of empathy when they prayed,
“Great Spirit, help us never to judge another until we have walked for two weeks in his moccasins.
Through empathy a man may closely identify himself with anyone he may to understand .
He may himself seek inspiration from the gifted, the victorious , the happy.
He may develop a deep comprehension of the problem of the blind, the crippled, the sorrowing and the defeated.
Empathy is the key to leadership. It unlocks the dreams in the hearts of men so the leader can help to make those dreams come true.
Empathy helps to create harmony in the home.
Family members may play the roles of each other.
For instance, the father can play the part of the son and the son the part of the father, that each may learn to know and appreciate the feelings of the other.
Practicing the art of empathy will enlarge a man’s life.
It will broaden his humanity, expand his understanding and inspire tolerance and forbearance, compassion and forgiveness.
Written by Wilfred Peterson in 1960.
