Empathy



There is no emotion quite as unselfish as empathy. The ability to truly recognize and feel the pain of another person is a rare gift. Many respond to the troubles of others by acts of pity, sympathy or compassion but how many can truly appreciate what another person is going through emotionally?
I say it is unselfish because it offers no direct advantage to the empathizer. Sharing the mental anguish of another person is emotionally taxing and oftentimes futile. But the beautiful thing about empathy is that it motivates us to help the sufferer and can enable both the empathizer and the sufferer to reap emotional benefits. Thus, empathy forms the foundation for a tolerant society.
What stops us from empathizing? Our egos. Intolerant societies build walls between different classes, religions and genders. People are raised to form their own little bubble in which they live and they believe that everything outside of it is immaterial. Unsurprisingly, it is difficult to empathize when brought up in these conditions.
Consider this. If people knew how to empathize with those from other religions, would there be so much hatred around us? If people knew how to empathize with those from other nations, would there be so many wars? If men knew how to empathize with women as human beings instead of sexual objects, would crimes against women be so rampant? Empathize is indeed rare and a truly tolerant society is a fantasy if the past and present are anything to go by.
Empathy might be essential to become a good human being but it isn’t a prerequisite to become a successful one. Feigning empathy is actually a more useful tool than the real thing. Successful leaders get far by feigning empathy for the poor. Successful businessmen fake empathy for their clients.
What about those in the medical field? Doctors are in a unique profession where empathy is a requirement, not a bonus. Patients expect empathy from their physicians. But doctors cannot realistically be expected to truly empathize with the sort of pain different patients go through. Furthermore, true empathy is always a threat to objectivity.
So what is the solution? While true empathy might be difficult to accomplish, it is not unreasonable to try to understand the patient’s anxieties and fears. The better we resonate with the patients’ emotions, the better rapport we will create with them. Not only will a better rapport create improve the patient-physician trust and treatment compliance, it will also improve our own experience as a doctor.
Empathy is a natural emotion. The world will not become a better place and you will not become a better person by faking it. How do we make society more tolerant? There is no simple answer but trying to understand each other instead of thinking only of ourselves would be a decent start.


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