OUR SELECTIVE EMPATHY

 



Only by examining our personal biases can we grow as artists;

Only by cultivating empathy can we grow as people.”

Jen Knox

 

We all have compassion in our hearts.

When I put myself in other people’s shoes - feel and understand their pain – yes, this kind of compassionate feeling is known as ‘empathy’. But, the kind of empathy, which most of us display in our lives is only selective. If you are not on my side of the divide, then, your pain doesn’t ache me… My heart doesn’t care. Why? Because, you are not on my side. So, I don’t cry for justice for you… I don’t think, you have been harmed… and, worse, I even find a sadistic pleasure seeing you suffer. On the other hand, if you are on my side of the divide, even the mildest pain to you can cause a turmoil in me; I am ready to pick up the flag… for you … against those who have harmed you…

This is the kind of empathy that is rampant today… It’s ‘Selective Empathy’, not ‘Universal Empathy’!

Let’s be honest on these questions:

Ø  Does cruelty to an animal affect us regardless of which animal it is? Or, is our pain only about pets, strays, dolphins, whales, blackbucks, elephants, cows etc.?

Ø   Do we feel the pain of the animals, fishes and birds that we habitually eat for our food? Or, is that pain different from the pain of cows and dolphins?

Ø  Do we feel the pain of people who die, get wounded or displaced by wars and riots regardless of who they are? Or, do we feel the pain only when our own people die, get wounded or displaced?

Ø  Rapes, police brutalities, State-sponsored witch-hunts, migrants' plight, joblessness, mob-lynching, media bias etc. – Are we able to feel the ‘pain of the wrongs’ regardless of which side of the divide we are?

Mostly not…

Mostly, our empathy is plain selective…

That’s why, selective empathy is called ‘political empathy’… not ‘spiritual empathy’…

We only pick and choose when it comes to showing empathy…





We bleed for whales and dolphins in the deep seas; but, not for little prawns or pomfrets on our dining tables…

We bleed for Pomeranians and Poodles in our drawing rooms; but, not for the ‘nameless’ strays just outside our gates…

We bleed for those on the distant borders; but, not for those mob-lynched, right under our noses…

Yes, we bleed for Kanganas; but, not for Rheas, or vice versa…

We bleed for only those gangrape-victims, who, we think, deserve our empathy; but, for not all…

Not all…

Not all.

 



GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic's.: pixabay

 

Video: Dare to do Motivation

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