The power of empathy by Athena

The power of empathy by Athena - November 2020 Scholarship Essay

Education is everywhere, not just in a classroom. Education can be from a more formal stand point where someone is teaching something, such as in a classroom where the teacher teaches the student how to do simple addition and subtraction or be more informal where someone may learn from experience such as if you touch something hot it burns. Personally, my life has been more engulfed by the formal standpoint of education. I have noticed it has taken over my life so much that now when I see the word “education” I tend to think of classes, textbooks and upcoming assignments. I’d like to take this time and reflect on education from a more informal standpoint away from the whiteboards and hand raising and say thank you to the lessons I have learned from my journey as a soon to be adult. The thing that I have learned in my life that I am most thankful for is empathy.
One may think this is an interesting choice to pick since this seems to be something that is not as valuable as say time management or adaptability, but I would say being empathetic toward others has been very beneficial in my life. Firstly, I believe empathy is something that cannot be taught in a classroom. To an extent a teacher may be able to teach the basics, but true empathy is taught by life.
I was first shown the true meaning of empathy my freshman year in a class called “Inquiry skills”. We watched a video in class explaining the difference between empathy and sympathy. To be empathetic one must put themselves in someone else’s shoes and try and feel the same way they might feel in order to connect to them and understand them more clearly. This is different from sympathy which is more of just being sorry for them. This class only taught me the basics however, I could not fully understand until I started using it in my everyday life.
Empathy can be used in many ways in life and has helped me in many ways. Empathy can be used in simple situations such as when being the leader of a group. I have always said “please” and “thank you” no matter the age or status of the person I am working with because I know that if I was that person, I would like to hear that being said to me when asked to do something. I also use empathy in everyday situations such as when I am in a store and I see it is very crowded. I try to understand people’s frustrations or nervousness from the stress before getting emotional myself from the lack of organization or disrespectful attitude from workers.
All in all, empathy has shown helped me be the best I can be in everyday life. It has allowed me to feel more connected to people and opened my eyes to how we treat each other in society. I feel a sense of calm when I know I can improve someone’s day by the simple actions I do and see how grateful they are when you show understanding and compassion. Sadly, empathy is more of a practice than a quick lesson. One must willingly perform empathetic acts and open their eyes to the knowledge they have and will learn from it. I encourage all to try and be more empathetic in your everyday lives, many will thank you if you do.