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..”