Apathy & Sympathy  VS. Empathy

The environment prevailing around us today, be it the world political scenario to the pandemic lead disturbances to the more local impact of the weather and turmoil all around us- It is in more ways than one of the most testing times for the human kind (but are humans kind? that is a question that needs an answer expressly). The Digital world has made us more machine like in our expressions than ever before and more so the new generation. Everything is animated and picture perfect for the media, since that’s where we express ourselves than to each other in person. If this doesn’t scare you, it is time you gave it a thought before its too late. How and when will you mend broken hearts and broken relationships for they make no noise when broken? Apathy on the part of people at large is due more to their own needs not being met and their goals and ambitions being dealt a blow is understandable, more painful is the plastic Sympathy that doesn’t help either. This is a dangerous scenario. And the only hope of deliverance from this predicament is EMPATHY! If ever one needed to understand the word better – it is NOW!

So, lets begin with understanding the words literally and how it impacts us in effect. Cambridge Dictionary says – apathynoun[ U ]; behaviour that shows no interest or energy and shows that someone is unwilling to take action, especially over something important:

And in examples we have the word used with students and voters. What this really translates into is that your present as guided by the apathetic voter and the future as guided by the apathetic student are both doomed. If this doesn’t bother us and drive us into action with utmost urgency – what else will?

Now let us look at the word Sympathy and what it holds for us literally as per the Cambridge Dictionary.

sympathynoun: (an expression of) understanding and care for someone else’s suffering:

This seems slightly better though none the effective as it does nothing but just expresses the understanding and Care for someone else’s suffering. So, feel it, express it, forget it! and that’s it! given the choice I did rather choose the apathetic over the sympathetic. Because, at least the apathetic is not washing his hands off by mere expression as he does not feel even. Isn’t it better not to express rather then just express and do nothing. This now brings us to the word that matters – the word that carries all the burden of emancipation from the gloom. And that is Empathy. let’s refer the trusted Cambridge Dictionary again to get into the literary meaning.

empathynoun[ U ]: the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person’s situation:

There you have it. Share and experience and feel the situation personally like the other would have felt. Now this defines your actions and therefore is action oriented. Pain and suffering much like happiness and passion do not affect another until it is shared and felt together. And, that is when one works together towards getting oneself out of it.

We all in our own realm of influence will come across many with whom we may sympathize at best and be apathetic at the worst, but an effort to empathize with a few can change the WORLD for each one of them. In turn, each one of us can make a “WORLD OF DIFFERENCE” just by being Empathetic. With an idea of “EACH ONE REACH ONE” on these lines. We can make the world a better place for ourselves too. You can not be happy and at peace with trouble and misery surrounding you. So lets pledge for “EACH ONE REACH ONE”

Long live EMPATHY – strengthened by our RESOLVE!