Empathy

Have you ever seen a man, dressed in ragged and dirty clothes begging for money on the streets? Or a man who has a wife and six children living in a small house, barely able to fit even four people comfortably? He has to work 12 hours a day just to have some money to send his children to school. I'm sure many of us have watched television programs or read newspapers that highlight the plight and difficulties that these people have to go through just to be able to make a small amount of money to feed their families. More often than enough, many of us would experience various degrees of sympathy for these unfortunate people. Unfortunately, there are also a number of people who actually have the audacity to belittle these poor people. Why don't we think to ourselves - how often do we actually empathize with these people? Do we even take the time to think how these people feel or put ourselves in their shoes?

First of all, we should understand the definition of empathy. Generally, empathy means the ability to recognize or comprehend another person's perspective or state of mind. When we empathize with another person, we have to set aside our own viewpoint and judgment and try to experience and understand the other person's outlook or perspective. Empathy, however, is different than sympathy. When we empathize with another person, it does not necessarily mean that we sympathize with him or her. We may understand the motive for the other person's actions and pain but we may not agree with their actions.

Although in this case, I think it would be quite appropriate to sympathize and empathize with these unfortunate people. It is not their choice to lead a meager life, barely able to make sufficient money to put food into their stomachs. They are doing their best to raise their families with the money they have, however small the amount may be. So, next time if we see a man or woman begging for money and hoping for people's sympathy, I think it would not hurt to give him or her some money. The money that you gave may not mean much to you since the amount is small, but to them, it might mean being able to afford dinner for their families.

-Hidayah-