“Empathy and Compassion” for everyone around you
By: Vikram Sandhu
Tags: Compassion, Empathy, Kindness, Covid 19

Empathy and Compassion are very different. They are represented in different areas of the brain. With empathy, we join the suffering of others who suffer, but stop short of actually helping. With compassion, we take a step away from the emotion of empathy and ask ourselves ‘how can we help?’. (credit — Forbes)

One might expect that we’ve needed a lot more of Compassion but throughout this year we’ve often been on the giving and receiving ends of little to none.

Don’t be surprised if the statement above is a bit harsh, these are just so many first hand accounts our friends, families and colleagues have shared where 2020 just became an year of “Me” vs. “Us”. People’s emotional tank is just empty, but to be fair there’s been fear and anxiety all around… at the grocery store checkout, in the park, at the gym, in the news, on social media, at home and frequently at work.

The endless and painful stories of families that were separated for months, of employees who didn’t step out of their makeshift home office for weeks on end, of friends who lost a loved one yet couldn’t travel to pay their respects. Those who worked for less than half their usual wages, some haven’t taken a single day off all year while others live under a constant cloud of financial insecurity, not to mention the employment avenues that just disappeared (all around the world). Under normal circumstances there would be many who’d help out (to be clear there still are those out there who are helping), but it does at times feel like 2020 made us more inward focused and perhaps even selfish (‘er) than usual. It’s truly been an overwhelming, forgettable and debilitating year for many.

But it’s also been an year that’s witnessed our resilience as a species, our seemingly limitless capacity to take on adversity and reminded us of what’s truly important in the bigger scheme of things. It’s brought much needed perspective and hopefully we won’t forget that anytime soon.

So as this indescribable year comes to a close it is still the time when compassion & empathy are more than just the CORRECT words to let fly loosely….this is still a time when we need to understand, believe and practice it.

We decided to try something that helped us… how about you give it a go as well.

Over the next 5 days:

accept 5 LinkedIn networking requests from strangers reaching out in need

networking requests from strangers reaching out in need offer a referral to 5 new job-seekers without expecting a return of favor

job-seekers without expecting a return of favor check-in informally with a colleague without the usual corporate spiel

without the usual corporate spiel call a friend you’re not in touch with to enquire about the well-being of their family

you’re not in touch with to enquire about the well-being of their family make it a point to appreciate a front-line hero who’s been out there for us

It didn’t take much but it’s the least we could do for a better end than the start to 2020.

********

Disclaimer: Views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the authors in their personal capacity, and do not represent the author’s current or past employers or any other groups or individuals.