Tanner Hoffman

Mrs. Tamera Davis

Composition II - 1213

6 September 2019

Cultivating Empathy

The rough definition of empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of

others. This means being able to stand in someone else's shoes and truly feel their feelings and

what they are going through at that moment. Having empathy for someone is special and

important in real human relationships

Empathy enables a relationship that you can have with no one else. Once empathy is

present in a relationship there is a bond that no one can break. I had a really good friend at one

point in highschool, we were together almost everyday. Her parents relationship started to

crumble piece by piece. At first I really didn't know what to say or how to comfort her but after

being with her and experiencing more and more of it, I began to feel empathy for her. I stepped

inside of her shoes and felt what she was feeling. From that point on I knew exactly what to do

because I could feel her emotions and help her through the whole experience. That was a very

eye opening point in my life. Before even knowing how it really felt to empathize with someone I

never knew how to comfort people and now I am able to be there for more and more people.

Cultivating empathy is a huge part of this process. Empathy isn't an object that just exist

in this universe, it's a feeling that we have to grow inside of us before we can spread it out

among the people. Having conversations with someone is just the place to start this process.

Sherry Turkle in The Empathy Diaries explains “ Face-to-Face conversation is the most human -

- and humanizing -- thing we do” ( Turkle 378 ). To have a true conversation we have to sit our

phones down and just look at each other face to face and talk. This type of conversation is

where a person might feel most vulnerable with no escape from the situation. This is where we
can learn to listen to one another without any other distractions. When listening to someone and

being able to fully understand them is when we begin to be able to share feelings through our

words and thoughts.

Technology can play many roles in cultivating empathy but can also hinder the

cultivation of it as well. I like to argue the point that technology can help cultivate empathy in

people. The reason being is that on a day to day basis you will see at least five people scrolling

through instagram or twitter. The things we see on these social media post can absolutely

devastating, like third world countries and poverty. Seeing these things can help humble a

person and realize how much they have in the world around them. One will also open about

more about their feelings when they are behind a screen and not direct contact with another

person.

Empathy is the hardest feeling to come around during this generation. We are so

checked out and just truly don't care anymore. “ At the same time we are hiding from one

another we are also very connected to each other through our screens” (379) . Relationships

between people are becoming shorter and less enjoyable because we are unable to share the

same happiness or sadness with this one person. The feeling of empathy between two people is

the most special connection you can have and we need to regain that spark in today's society.

Having empathy and feeling the same emotions and thoughts with someone makes a true

relationship and is the most important basis in a real human relationship.

 Work Cited Page

Barrios, Barclay. Emerging: Contemporary Readings for Writers. Bedford/St. Martin's,

2019.

Foster, Charles. “If You Were an Elephant ...” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media,

19 Jan. 2017, www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/19/if-you-were-an-elephant-.