What is Empathy?
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and imagining how they might be feeling in a particular situation. Rather than simply observing someone’s emotions from the outside, empathy allows you to emotionally connect and respond with care and compassion. There are different levels of empathy—emotional empathy, where you actually feel what the other person is going through; cognitive empathy, which helps you understand someone’s perspective without necessarily feeling the same emotion; and compassionate empathy, which combines both understanding and a desire to help. Empathy plays a vital role in building strong relationships, fostering kindness, and improving communication in personal, professional, and social settings. It helps reduce conflict, increase understanding, and create a more compassionate world.
“Empathy is the bridge that turns understanding into connection, and compassion into action.”
Example of emotional empathy:
Your friend just lost their pet, and as they talk about the memories and pain, you feel their sadness so deeply that you start to tear up too—not because it happened to you, but because you can truly feel their heartache. You sit beside them, offering comfort, not trying to fix anything—just being there and sharing the emotional weight with them. That’s emotional empathy: feeling what someone else feels, as if their emotions were your own.
“Emotional empathy is feeling with someone, not just for them.”
Example of Empathy and Kindness:
A student notices that their classmate looks upset and is sitting alone during lunch. Instead of ignoring them, the student walks over, sits beside them, and gently asks if they’re okay. After listening patiently to their worries, the student offers comforting words and invites them to join a group activity later, helping them feel included and supported. This act shows empathy—understanding the classmate’s emotions—and kindness—taking action to make them feel better.
“Empathy listens. Kindness acts.”
War often leads to a loss of empathy, as individuals and groups become desensitized to the suffering of others, especially when it comes to enemies or opposing factions. Propaganda, dehumanization, and the brutality of conflict can numb people to the humanity of those on the other side, leading to actions that ignore or justify harm.
“In the chaos of war, empathy is the quiet strength that reminds us of our shared humanity.”
