Empathy vs. Judgement
In many of the articles I have written I often talk about empathy. Wikipedia defines Empathy as: The capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference. No-one really ever knows what it’s like to live in the shoes of another. Therefore, how can we have the right to pass judgement on anyone? The answer is, we can’t. When we have empathy we get to avoid judgement and have the ability to show respect for their point of view.
I heard a story of a man traveling on a train with his children. He was in his own world appearing to be a neglectful parent as his children were rowdy and disturbing the other passengers. Another passenger asked him to please control his children because. The man said, “I am very sorry, we just left the hospital and my wife just passed away, I’ll do a better job”. Needless to say, the passenger felt like dirt.
See, the man appeared to be a neglectful parent, yet, he was going through a horrific situation. Soooo, please don’t judge, please don’t assume, please be respectful, and please, please lead by empathy.
