Empathy
‘On the Solomon islands, when the tribes need to
clear the jungle to make way for fields, they don't cut down the trees , they
simply gather and collect around it, and hurl abuses at the tree, they curse
it. Slowly but surely, after some days, the trees begin to wither. It dies on
its own.’ Taare Zameen Par
They say that
empathy is a gift and that only a few can ever be purely empathic.
I say that’s
bullshit.
There is no ‘gift’.
Empathy is something you acquire as you grow up. It is a part of your
upbringing as well as a result of your intellect and observations. It’s nature
vs nurture
Empathy is
something you teach yourself, albeit unconsciously. It is probably the most
human part of us all. Those who lack it don’t do so because they are dumb or
that they lacked the upbringing….it’s because they chose to leave this human
part of them, they ran away from it. Admittedly, empathy hurts. You have to
feel another’s pain to be able to help them. It hurts to feel helpless in front
of another.
Empathy.
Caring. Love. They are branches of the same tree
We need it
the most as children. We need to believe we are someone’s priority. That someone
will fight for us, no matter the odds. And they will never stop caring for us
till their last breath.
Adults need
it too. The lack of it can break you down. Because the truth is, no matter how
much we grow up, we always a need a shoulder to cry on. We need our wounds to
be kissed away.
Imagine not
having that.
I have seen
people struggle for lack of it. Some of them are the bravest people I know.
They are the ones who have taught me its importance.
I have also
known people who left long ago and whom I will probably never meet again, who
left on their own quest for empathy, because they could not find it here.
I understand
now. And I wish that I had understood these things before for they are so brutally
clear to me now.
“It’s very important. It has the power to cure. A salve for pain. The child feels wanted. A hug, a loving kiss now and then to show that I care Son, I love you. If you have any fears come to me. So what if you slipped, failed. Don’t worry I’m there for you. Reassurance. Caring..”
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