| |
| |
|
Faith411.com - Inspirational |
|
|
|
Vital information and articles related to inspiration.A Global Empathy Deficit- 2 Lessons
"...We've got a budget deficit that's important, we've got a trade deficit that's critical, but what I worry most is our empathy deficit." - Interview in O Magazine with Barack Obama. Perhaps this is not only a US national concern but a global crisis: people are dividing into camps and fighting one another with no mention of sitting down to dialogue. We, as global human beings living on a shrinking planet, have to stop the insanity, start talking, and stop the fighting. The fighting is not only among warring nations. It goes on in corporations, small businesses, between entrepreneurs, in schools, in neighborhoods, and in families. There is a lack of talking, listening, and empathizing between people. This is especially true when they are different from us in some way. We lose patience with others not like us or not of the same viewpoint. We stop listening. And consequently, we lose our ability to understand and find solutions. We are missing opportunities for talking and dialoguing about what really matters. Dialoguing of course means listening and hearing what the other person is saying. It is not a monologue. It requires more than listening-it requires empathy. Lesson # 1 in Empathy Empathy has several ingredients. Most people understand empathy to be "walking in someone else's shoes." It is more than that. Information when communicated to us by another human being is processed through the limbic system in the brain, the center for emotions and memory. The trick here is not to get lost in our own memories and emotions. This requires self-management so quick that it is out of our awareness. We sense that the reason we feel sad that our neighbor is telling us that their dog died is that we have also experienced loss and know what it must be like for them. To summarize, lesson #1 of empathy has several parts: Lesson #2 of Empathy People usually have a tendency to jump in and want to do something to help too soon. They want to get out of their own discomfort by solving the problem. Often they don't take the time to really understand what the real problem is before offering solutions. This is how many people come across as NOT being empathetic, when they actually are. They respond too quickly with the wrong solutions. So, the next important step after lesson #1 (feel the feelings and just listen), is to communicate back to the person that you are hearing them on a deep and personal level. Simply state back to the person some of what you've heard, without interpretation or distortion. This communication requires a deep and honest caring about how other people feel, avoiding judgments and any attempts to minimize the importance of feelings or offering advice. Like so much, empathy begins with developing ourselves individually, permeates our families and is taught to our children, and then must be communicated with the leaders we entrust to deal with other countries. A continued lack of empathy will result in global degradation. © 2004 Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. About The Author This is a synopsis of a longer article available for your use with full reprint rights upon purchase. This synopsis is only available when you include the resource box: Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., CBC, is a psychologist, executive coach, and writer. She customizes newsletters for life and executive coaches, providing both content and PDF and HTML ezines for busy professionals. Patsi lives and works from Ajijic, Mexico where she plays tennis daily, and enjoys other creative activities with her husband Rob and two Maine Coon cats, Huey and Dewey. Email patsi@customizednewsletters.com. For more articles, subscribe to Newsletter Nuggets and BizBook Nuggets, at http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=86914. For more information visit http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=86911. For notes, quotes & tips on writing coach ezines, visit Patsi's weblog: www.coachezines.com. Secrets of Successful Ezines available for immediate download at www.customizednewsletters.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Inspirational - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Problem Solving: The Easy Way To Solve Problems In Life Life is full of problems.The more you solve them, the more new ones come up. Its Better to Give than to Receive "It's better to give than to receive." You've probably heard that popular saying. Small Wonder Wonder:~~To think or speculate curiously~~To be filled with admiration, amazement or awe; marvel~~A cause of surprise, astonishment or admiration~~A feeling of surprised or puzzled interest, sometimes tinged with admiration.So what is it about wonder that is so remarkable and valuable? I think when you are experiencing wonder, several things happen. The Pledge You know kids, one of the things I've learned by letting more people know what's going on inside my head is that once you do people expect you to live up to what you've put out there. I've sort of learned on the fly here that using this knowledge as a burr under the saddle that is my life accelerates my growth. Sixty-Second Caring "How are you doing?" you ask. There's a pause before the reply. Why Integrity! There is much said in the word "integrity"! According to the Websters New Collegtiate Dictionary, it means: 1, an unimpaired condition: sound: incorruptibility: 2, firm adherence to a code of esp. moral or artistic values, undivided: completeness: syn. An Extraordinary Person I am not going to tell you the story of an extraordinary person, who did remarkable things in life. Why should I? Are you not an extraordinary person? What do you think about yourself? You possess all the assets of an extraordinary person but, unfortunately, you are not an extraordinary person because you don't think so. The Cracked Pot Letters on Life#3Some experiences you never forget. In some of them there is great learning. Financial Freedom Blues Steps to Financial Freedom, roadmap to financial freedom, achieve financial freedom?Financial freedom seems to be the current buzzword in the world of self-improvement. This has spawned a new industry, and alongside it, some curious schemes and fantastic claims of how to achieve financial freedom in months. Pattern of Ripples The Emmaus JournalPattern of RipplesPicture within your mind an imaginary pool of water. Visualize a stone thrown into the water and see the waves of concentric circles that emulate from its point of contact. 7 Perks to Living a Life on Purpose 1. We all have a purpose in this life time. Generosity Is The Seed Of Wealth Generosity, which includes the free, no strings-attached sharing of resources, money, and information among people, is the seed of prosperity. What was the initial seed planted that caused the "Silicon Valley Miracle" No, it was not the invention of the oscilloscope by David Hewlett and William Packard, but, rather, an act of no-strings attached generosity, the founding of Stanford University by Leland Stanford. Loving You The difficulty in finding love that is good for you stems from the same difficulty you have loving yourself. For those who believe in God or a higher power, to not love yourself is to not love the very source of your existence. A Dream is Just a Dream ... Or is It? Some people dismiss dreams as nonsense, thought patterns running amuck as we sleep because we are not conscious and in a position to control them.Others believe that a dream is meant to serve a purpose and provide information that our conscious mind is unable to recognize. Eight Choices You Can Make Today that Will Change Your Life Forever The direction of our lives is determined by the choices we make every day. They accumulate and add up to our ultimate destiny. Quotable Quotes Are Nothing More Than Flowery Words Quotable quotes are nothing more than flowery words.. Tim McGraw had it Right - Live Like You Are Dying! Chorus:An' he said: "I went ski diving, I went rockymountain climbing, "I went two point seven seconds on a bull named FuMan Chu""And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."An he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,"To live like you were dyin'. Moral Obligation & Responsibility Chances are you have seen some type of disturbance in your lifetime. Whether it was a bully picking on someone or a piece of trash on the ground, disturbances happen daily on several different levels. A Bit Of Turbulence Direct Answers - Column for the week of July 1, 2002I'm a 26-year-old flight attendant engaged to be married in 10 weeks. Our wedding reception was to be held in a marquee in my in-laws' garden. Are We Ever Really Alone? A new twist on a familiar quote - Chances are you've heard the term "If it's to be, it's up to me!" I happen to like this quote, the only thing about it is the more life experiences I pick up the more I tend to realize that it's actually only true to a degree.I can hear it now being repeated from behind thousands of computer keyboards across the Internet, "Who the heck do you think you are to challenge the age old wisdom in that quote?".
|
|
Inspirational Articles Home Page | Inspirational Articles Site Map | News | Faith411.com Home Page EZmatic.com | IgoJo | UpBee | Blue Ryder | Health | ZippyGo | Ken J Wagner Faith411.com - all Vital information and articles related to Inspirational. |
| © 2006 |
