Thr heroics of empathy

Two people in a conversation are standing in almost the exact same place in the world with almost the exact same set of environmental influences on their internal experience of the moment.

Both people are looking into the other person’s eyes. Both of them are squinting. Both have a furroughed brow. One of them has the sun in her eyes…

One key principle of interpersonal communication is empathy. If you want to master empathy, start by empathizing with yourself. You have chosen a path upon which you walk blindfolded and lead by the hand of those you hope to serve.

When you realize that you can never have all the information that makes up another person’s experience, you must relinquish your certainty and exchange it for curiosity. You must stop trying to be interesting so you can become interested. You must open yourself up, an act of vulnerability, in order to truly receive what someone is giving.

Those that understand this and keep showing up ready to help others feel heard and seen are the brave and unsung heroes that keep our world worth living in.