ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Six Ideas for Inspiring Empathy

Updated on July 14, 2014

Please, Understand Me

Whenever we try to understand the feelings, pain and perceptions of another human being we are practicing empathy. Our ability to feel another's emotions falls on a spectrum and fluctuates over time. Although it may appear some of us are born with more empathy than others researchers are still determining whether it is an inherent trait or simply learned. Cognitive scientists do recognize empathy comes more naturally to some than it does to others. By taking time to genuinely create and paint a picture of what it is like for the other person and imagine ourselves in their place, we ultimately gain valuable insights, forging deeper connections to those around us.

Remember Others

We spend the majority of our lives thinking about our own needs. Be honest. Human beings are essentially self-centered and selfish creatures. We want to do what we want to do when we want to do it. If we expect children to grow into caring, empathetic adults we must begin modeling unselfish behaviors early in their lives. It doesn't take the full scale selfless volunteering at an orphanage or cooking Sunday meals for homeless veterans to have an effect either. Sometimes we forget that the smallest gestures of kindness and caring mean a great deal. Let your children witness and experience your thoughtful actions. Did you remember your grandmothers birthday and give her a phone call? Did you give a teacher a gift? Did you bring chicken soup to a sick neighbor? Did you write a thank you note to a friend or relative? Have you ever complimented a stranger or helped an elderly person with their cart at a grocery store? As a child's empathy grows because of your modeling, they'll be more able to relate deeply to others. They will see appreciation, surprise or even disappointment on the faces of strangers. They will feel and see what kindness does for others and themselves. It may create good positive feelings and emotions. Children will also grow in their ability to practice good listening skills, show gratitude, sincerely help others, and demonstrate generosity.


Volunteer Your Time

Volunteering may be the first example where we observed and felt empathy in our lives outside of our parents and siblings. Whether we are showing compassion for homeless men, women and children by raising economic awareness or cleaning cages and petting kittens at an animal rescue shelter, our ability to care deeply about the welfare of something outside of ourselves creates a flourishing space for developing empathy. Volunteering our time to others closes the distance between "us" and "them". We transcend political hierarchies and the imaginary human constructs that separate human being from human heart. We connect through suffering, loss and pain. We connect through love, joy and kindness.

Volunteering also teaches us that our time and our ability to give and receive is more important than money. Children who volunteer are more likely to become givers who grow up to become positive change makers.




“Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection - or compassionate action.”
― Daniel Goleman, Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships

Listen

Most of us prefer to talk. We like the sound of our own voices. We demand to be heard. But who exactly is doing all the listening? Few people realize just how difficult listening really is. It is a sign of respect. Listening shows we value others. Wisdom, patience and humility can be learned when we sincerely listen to what others are saying. We form connections. We develop bonds. We honor and acknowledge what another person is experiencing at that moment. Listening when we would much rather be the ones talking is a priceless skill. You may not have all the answers or any of the answers and that is why listening is so healing. Listening is a process rather than a product. We are hearing and understanding the predicament of another human being. Our knowledge, compassion and empathy grows as we open our hearts and our ears. Listen.

Find Common Ground

We are more alike than we are different. The world divides itself into different nations, religions, beliefs, philosophies, political groups and yet we all share common ground. Many people confuse empathy with pity or feeling sorry for other people. This is a dangerous misconception. All human beings breathe air, we all need food and water to survive, we all want to eliminate suffering and increase our own happiness. When we begin to look at all the ways we are alike rather than our differences empathy increases. It has been said that you must walk in another persons shoes to understand their life. Begin with how you are the same. Slip on anothers boots, pumps, sneakers, ballet slippers and begin the journey one step at a time but begin with your heart.

Lose Your Thoughts

Read a novel. Watch a movie. Listen to a beautiful song with moving lyrics. Most people are so absorbed with their own thoughts they can't relate to a character in a movie, play or book. However, these are incredibly useful tools for creating empathy.Get out of your own head and discover the thoughts and feelings of a character. When we allow ourselves to be immersed in a great story we are taking on the perspective of another person, place or thing. We are a different gender, race, nationality have a novel ideology or belong to a different time. As the author takes us on an exciting adventure their words are describing an entirely new viewpoint from our own. Did you dream of flying magically through the air as Harry Potter at Hogwarts? Did you try to imagine the unbearable suffering of a concentration camp when reading Elie Wiesel's Night? We may become so emotionally caught up when we read and watch movies that we cry, laugh or feel the joy of another. The act of trying to imagine what someone else is feeling is actually increasing our own awareness. We are creating empathy.

“I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become the wounded person.” -Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

Feel Your Own Emotions

You need to get in touch and feel your own emotions before you can truly empathize with others. At some level you must know sorrow, grief, pain, suffering, happiness, emptiness, boredom, rage, arrogance. Love. You must allow yourself to feel the full spectrum of human emotions and feel them fully and deeply. When you are sad, connect with the sadness. Allow yourself to weep. Where is the sadness coming from? Did someone say something mean to you? Did you recall a sad memory? What makes you happy? What makes you feel joy? Who or what makes you angry? Do other people share your anger? Can you connect with others based on that single shared emotion? It's only when we allow ourselves to feel what we are really feeling that we can understand and absorb the emotions of others. Relating to anothers emotions creates empathy.

“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other.”
― Meryl Streep

How do you inspire empathy in yourself and others?

See results
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)