Mindfulness and Empathy

Humans are naturally social beings and relationships play an important role in our lives. For many of us positive relationships are the key to happiness. It is not a surprise that Empathy plays a vital role in relationships.

Empathy is being able to understand the feelings, emotions, and the minds of other people. When you connect with someone and can resonate emotionally, the relationship strengthens further. Empathy lies at the foundation of social structure.

We have all heard the saying, “to stand in someone else’s shoes.” This is a classic act of Empathy. So, Empathy is above and beyond just thinking about the other person. It is about thinking from the other person’s perspectives, thinking on-behalf of the other person.

It sounds great but when it comes to practice, we all shy away thinking it is idealistic and not realistic to practice in today’s fast-paced world. Here’s an incident that touched my heart that depicts how natural and easy it is for a mindful person to display acts of Empathy in everyday life.

It was a Sunday and one of my friends called me. She wasn’t feeling well and with her husband out on business travel, she needed some help. I offered to drive her daughter to and from Sanskrit class that afternoon. It took us close to an hour to get to the class. 9-year old girl, Harini, looked tired and troubled maybe from the drive and that Mom wasn’t well. I dropped her off at the class, ran some errands and headed back to the class to pick her up. The class was still going on and it appeared that Harini was having a hard time at the class. She was asked by the teacher to leave the class, take a walk around the building, ‘wake-up’ and return. Nearly in tears, she followed the instructions. The class finally ended, she headed out feeling disparaged.

I was really worried about Harini when one of the parents called out to her. “Harini, I simply love the colors you are wearing,” she started. “It is rich and vibrant and reflects the joy of the first day of Spring. You have brightened my day, dear.” Harini was pleasantly surprised by the kind words. “That’s just so sweet of you, aunty,” Harini replied with a smile. The expression on the little girl’s face had instantly changed. The words sounded genuine and was filled with empathy. This Mom knew in her heart what Empathy truly meant. What could have become a difficult situation, turned around because of this mindful Mom. I gave a big smile, a smile filled with gratitude, appreciation and respect. She smiled and waved back at us.

Simple acts of Empathy go a long mile. It really doesn’t take much out of us to be empathetic and foster kindness around us. Start today, pursue the path of mindfulness and kindness, and show the world you care.

We invite you to share your ‘Empathy’ experiences with us.