EMPATHYEMPATHY

(OR HAVING A GREAT CAPACITY OF (OR HAVING A GREAT CAPACITY OF PUTTING ONESELF IN ANOTHER PUTTING ONESELF IN ANOTHER

PERSON’S SHOES)PERSON’S SHOES)

EMPATHY:EMPATHY:

• empathyempathy [ [emem-p-puhuh-thee]-thee]

• (noun) the understanding of or the (noun) the understanding of or the ability to identify with another ability to identify with another person’s feelings or experiencesperson’s feelings or experiences

THERE’S AN OLD CHEROKEE THERE’S AN OLD CHEROKEE INDIAN SAYING:INDIAN SAYING:

• Walk a mile in another's moccasin... Walk a mile in another's moccasin...

IN HARPER LEE’S IN HARPER LEE’S TO KILL A TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD:MOCKINGBIRD:

• WE LEARN: "You never really know a WE LEARN: "You never really know a man until you understand things man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” into his skin and walk around in it.”

SYMPATHYSYMPATHY

• Sympathy – feeling sorry for another’s hurtSympathy – feeling sorry for another’s hurt

• Sympathy is feeling sorry for another’s hurt or Sympathy is feeling sorry for another’s hurt or pain. There is some emotional distance with pain. There is some emotional distance with sympathy – you are not experiencing the pain for sympathy – you are not experiencing the pain for yourself, rather you are saying “Isn’t it sad that yourself, rather you are saying “Isn’t it sad that this person is having a bad time”. Sometimes this person is having a bad time”. Sometimes sympathy can tip into pity, and that is where sympathy can tip into pity, and that is where some caution is needed. Pity is an emotion that some caution is needed. Pity is an emotion that tends to dehumanize and belittle.tends to dehumanize and belittle.

SYMPATHY:SYMPATHY:

• Most people who have a disability or Most people who have a disability or other challenges will despise being other challenges will despise being ‘pitied’ as pity strips away the rich ‘pitied’ as pity strips away the rich reality of their human experience reality of their human experience and leaves just the difficulty or and leaves just the difficulty or disability on view. For a deeper disability on view. For a deeper relationship and understanding, relationship and understanding, empathy is neededempathy is needed

EMPATHY:EMPATHY:

• Empathy – walking in another’s shoesEmpathy – walking in another’s shoes

• Empathy takes things a little deeper – it is the ability to Empathy takes things a little deeper – it is the ability to experience for yourself some of the pain that the other experience for yourself some of the pain that the other person may be experiencing. It is an acknowledgement of person may be experiencing. It is an acknowledgement of our shared experience as humans and recognition that we our shared experience as humans and recognition that we all feel grief and loss and pain and fear. You do not need to all feel grief and loss and pain and fear. You do not need to have experienced exactly the same events as the person have experienced exactly the same events as the person who is suffering but you do need to have the ability to who is suffering but you do need to have the ability to really imagine how they must be feeling in their situation. really imagine how they must be feeling in their situation. Empathy is a vicarious experience – if your friend is feeling Empathy is a vicarious experience – if your friend is feeling afraid, you too will experience a feeling of fear in your afraid, you too will experience a feeling of fear in your body; if they are sad, you too will feel sorrow.body; if they are sad, you too will feel sorrow.

SO WHAT IS EMPATHY?SO WHAT IS EMPATHY?

• Empathy is a quality and a virtue. This quality is a quality and a virtue. This quality enables a person to understand and feel concern enables a person to understand and feel concern for others situation or feelings. Empathy means to for others situation or feelings. Empathy means to identify with the problems or situations of people identify with the problems or situations of people and understand their thoughts and condition. It is and understand their thoughts and condition. It is an action of being sensitive to others and their an action of being sensitive to others and their feelings without them explicitly airing them. It is feelings without them explicitly airing them. It is different from different from sympathy. Empathy means 'to . Empathy means 'to suffer' in Greek language. It was first used in the suffer' in Greek language. It was first used in the English language during the early 20th century.English language during the early 20th century.

EMPATHY: EMPATHY:

• Feeling empathy is allowing yourself Feeling empathy is allowing yourself to become tuned into another to become tuned into another person’s emotional experience. It person’s emotional experience. It takes courage to do this but if you takes courage to do this but if you have ever experienced real empathy have ever experienced real empathy from another when you have been from another when you have been hurting, you will know what a gift it hurting, you will know what a gift it can be.can be.

WHAT IS EMPATHY?WHAT IS EMPATHY?

• It means putting one self in another person's It means putting one self in another person's mould. It is being in somebody else's mould. It is being in somebody else's shoes and knows about their emotions and entering and knows about their emotions and entering into their way of thinking. Thus this quality into their way of thinking. Thus this quality assists a person in recognizing, perceiving assists a person in recognizing, perceiving and feeling the emotions of others. People and feeling the emotions of others. People often empathize with others through their often empathize with others through their moods and behaviors. It is quality that is moods and behaviors. It is quality that is possessed by great people like Gandhi and possessed by great people like Gandhi and others. others.

COMPASSION:COMPASSION:

• If empathy is the ability to really If empathy is the ability to really experience some of the feelings of experience some of the feelings of pain that another person is feeling, pain that another person is feeling, then compassion is to translate that then compassion is to translate that feeling into action. You understand feeling into action. You understand that your friend is feeling worried and that your friend is feeling worried and stressed with their aging relative in stressed with their aging relative in hospital, so you cook the family some hospital, so you cook the family some dinners and take their children for an dinners and take their children for an afternoon..afternoon..

COMPASSION:COMPASSION:

• True compassion reaches out to True compassion reaches out to all people, no matter whether all people, no matter whether they are your friends or not, and they are your friends or not, and even to all living creatures. It is even to all living creatures. It is the ability and willingness to the ability and willingness to stand alongside someone and to stand alongside someone and to put their needs before your ownput their needs before your own

COMPASSION:COMPASSION:

• Living a compassionate life can Living a compassionate life can be learned – it is not just be learned – it is not just something that some ‘extra-something that some ‘extra-good’ people are born with. good’ people are born with. Changing habits takes Changing habits takes persistence and practice but it is persistence and practice but it is achievable through the right achievable through the right methods.methods.

COMPASSION:COMPASSION:

• Many of the worlds’ wisest people have Many of the worlds’ wisest people have stated that giving to others in life is the stated that giving to others in life is the source of the greatest contentment and source of the greatest contentment and life satisfaction, so there are many life satisfaction, so there are many personal benefits to be gained as well.personal benefits to be gained as well.

• To bring the power of compassion into To bring the power of compassion into your life there are a few things you can your life there are a few things you can do. Firstly, you need to begin to discern do. Firstly, you need to begin to discern the difference and develop your ability to the difference and develop your ability to walk in other people’s shoes.walk in other people’s shoes.

HENRY FORD:HENRY FORD:

• If there is any one secret of success, If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things person's point of view and see things from his angle as well as your own. ~ from his angle as well as your own. ~

AUTHOR J.K. ROWLINGS: AUTHOR J.K. ROWLINGS:

• ““Imagination is not only the uniquely human Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and, capacity to envision that which is not, and, therefore, the foundation of all invention and therefore, the foundation of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared.”experiences we have never shared.”

PRESIDENT BARACK PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:OBAMA:

• We live in a culture that discourages We live in a culture that discourages empathy. A culture that too often empathy. A culture that too often tells us our principle goal in life is to tells us our principle goal in life is to be rich, thin, young, famous, safe, be rich, thin, young, famous, safe, and entertained. ~ and entertained. ~

THINK ABOUT IT:THINK ABOUT IT:

WHAT ROLEDOES EMPATHYHAVE IN OUR LIVES?

HOW MAY ITBE RELEVANT INOUR BOOK CLUBBOOKS?

THINK ABOUT THIS, TOO:THINK ABOUT THIS, TOO:

HOW MAYTHIS APPLYIN REAL LIFE?

WHAT ABOUTIN OUR STORIES?

GOOD READERS:GOOD READERS:

• GET LOST IN STORY BY DEVELOPING GET LOST IN STORY BY DEVELOPING EMPATHY FOR THEIR MAIN EMPATHY FOR THEIR MAIN CHARACTERS AND BY LEARNING CHARACTERS AND BY LEARNING HOW TO PUT THEMSELVES IN THEIR HOW TO PUT THEMSELVES IN THEIR SHOES.SHOES.

A SCENE FROM THE CAY

IN THE YEAR OF THE BOAR IN THE YEAR OF THE BOAR AND JACKIE ROBINSON:AND JACKIE ROBINSON:

• ANYONE WHO HAS EMIGRATED TO A NEW ANYONE WHO HAS EMIGRATED TO A NEW COUNTRY, UNDERSTANDS THE COUNTRY, UNDERSTANDS THE CHARACTER’S STRUGGLE-MORAL CHARACTER’S STRUGGLE-MORAL DILEMMA OF BEING LOYAL TO HER DILEMMA OF BEING LOYAL TO HER CHINESE CULTURE AND BECOMING A CHINESE CULTURE AND BECOMING A PROUD NEW AMERICAN, ULTIMATELY PROUD NEW AMERICAN, ULTIMATELY REALIZING SHE CAN DO BOTH!REALIZING SHE CAN DO BOTH!

TURN AND TALK:TURN AND TALK:

• ABOUT A RECENT BOOK YOU READ--ABOUT A RECENT BOOK YOU READ--HOW DID YOU PUT YOURSELF IN THE HOW DID YOU PUT YOURSELF IN THE CHARACTER’S SHOES? HOW DID YOU CHARACTER’S SHOES? HOW DID YOU ENVISION WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE ENVISION WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE THE MAIN CHARACTER?THE MAIN CHARACTER?

BUT REMEMBER:BUT REMEMBER:

• IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO JUST FEEL SORRY IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO JUST FEEL SORRY FOR SOMEONE. WE HAVE TO IMAGINE FOR SOMEONE. WE HAVE TO IMAGINE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO WALK IN THEIR SHOES. WHAT IT IS LIKE TO WALK IN THEIR SHOES.

SO AS YOU READ & TALK IT SO AS YOU READ & TALK IT OVER TODAY, START THINKING OVER TODAY, START THINKING ABOUT:ABOUT:• How is the character feeling at How is the character feeling at

this point in the text? Why?this point in the text? Why?

• How would you feel if you were How would you feel if you were the character?the character?

• Can you imagine being in the Can you imagine being in the character’s shoes right now? character’s shoes right now? What do you imagine?What do you imagine?

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF TO DEVELOP EMPATHY:TO DEVELOP EMPATHY:

• What does the character believe to be What does the character believe to be true about life? Why? Do you believe true about life? Why? Do you believe anything similar?anything similar?

• What might the character say in this What might the character say in this ________situation? Why do you think ________situation? Why do you think so?so?

• What might the character do in this What might the character do in this _______ situation? Why do you think _______ situation? Why do you think so?so?

QUESTIONS ABOUT QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPASSION:COMPASSION:• HOW DO THE CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY HOW DO THE CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY

BEGIN TO HAVE THE COURAGE AND FORTITUDE BEGIN TO HAVE THE COURAGE AND FORTITUDE TO LEAD COMPASSIONATE LIVES?TO LEAD COMPASSIONATE LIVES?

• WHAT OBSTACLES DO THEY ENCOUNTER ?WHAT OBSTACLES DO THEY ENCOUNTER ?

• HOW DO THEY OVERCOME THESE HOW DO THEY OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES?CHALLENGES?

• HOW DOES IT FIT INTO THE THEME OR BIG IDEA HOW DOES IT FIT INTO THE THEME OR BIG IDEA OF THE STORY?OF THE STORY?

• WHAT ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF OUR OWN WHAT ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF OUR OWN LIVES?LIVES?

YOU CAN ALSO APPLY THIS YOU CAN ALSO APPLY THIS MODEL TO YOUR MODEL TO YOUR INDEPENDENT BOOKS:INDEPENDENT BOOKS:• BUT FOR NOW, APPLY TO YOUR BUT FOR NOW, APPLY TO YOUR

BOOK CLUB NOVELS. BOOK CLUB NOVELS.

ASSESSING OUR LEARNING:ASSESSING OUR LEARNING:

• EACH ONE OF YOU MUST CAREFULLY EACH ONE OF YOU MUST CAREFULLY ANSWER EACH OF THE QUESTIONS ANSWER EACH OF THE QUESTIONS POSED TO YOU IN SLIES, 24, 25 AND 26 POSED TO YOU IN SLIES, 24, 25 AND 26 (AFTER TALKING IT OVER WITH OUR (AFTER TALKING IT OVER WITH OUR TEAM-MATES). FINISH FOR HOMEWORK.TEAM-MATES). FINISH FOR HOMEWORK.

• BUT FIRST, STOP AND JOT—SOMETHING BUT FIRST, STOP AND JOT—SOMETHING NEW AND IMPORTANT YOU LEARNED NEW AND IMPORTANT YOU LEARNED TODAY.TODAY.