The word “empathy” is used often by various psychologists, journalists, professors, etc. What does ’empathy’ mean?

Empathy is the ability to perceive and relate to a foreign point of view. Usually, empathy exists where one has experienced a situation that others are experiencing, oneself. Hence the experience is shared and there exists an understanding of the feelings involved.

Example: During a race, the child accidentally falls down and is injured. This causes a certain amount of pain. When a similar situation happens to another child or anyone for that matter, the child who had once fallen understands the pain as it’s relatable. The child feels bad for the injured, tries to help etc. This feeling is called empathy.

Empathy needn’t always arise through sensing the same feelings. Empathy can also be achieved through understanding others’ feelings.

The best example to explain this is the one with animals. If the child is taught from a very young age how vulnerable these animals are – the do’s and don’ts around them – and educated about the animal’s behaviour, the child grows up learning how to behave around the animal. For instance, a well-educated child never hurts a stray dog. When the child sees one being hurt, the child feels a certain emotion in favour of the dog, by understanding the particular act is unfair and that the dog is in pain. This is empathy too.

So, why is empathy important?

Empathy is important because empathy informs compassion, and compassion informs wisdom. This is required for the child’s awareness and evolution.