Thoughts on the Week #21 – Empathy

The older I’ve become, the more I want to be around kind people. I am more aware of my flaws and but have learned to accept them and don’t want to be around people that constantly remind me of my shortcomings. I am not talking about critique, as this is important as we must be aware of what we can do better and grow as people, but of the meanspirited tearing down of who we are. The ability to put ourselves in other people’s shoes and be less judgemental is a core skill and I want to be around that more.

It’s cool to be cruel and there’s a meanness that is considered funny even though it is completely unnecessary and serves to alienate more than anything else. I want to be kinder, more open and empathetic to people. Again, empathy doesn’t mean that I now look aside when people cause me or others pain and neither does it mean coddling or unconditional forgiveness. I just want to be a little softer in my interractions with people and hope they will be a little softer with me. We’re, after all, all figuring out this life thing without a manual and are bound to slip up sometimes.