Do you ever think about the difference between empathy and sympathy?
Even think there is a difference?
Brene Brown has a thoughtful and humorous take on the difference.
RSA Shorts – The Power of Empathy
In this short video you will learn why empathy is challenging for many people, but isn’t that complicated if we are willing to give it a shot.
This is originally from Brene Brown’s website here
“Danny and Annie” from StoryCorps
I watched this simple video. A simple story of two people loving each other over the years. I think we need to fill our hearts with these kinds of relationships.
What sort of relationships are we meditating upon?
We will become like those relationships.
What is needed for people to change? To truly be transformed into a new kind of person?
I’ve thought about this for most of my life and all of my adult life. So, this writing won’t encompass my thoughts on this subject and yet I thought it framed the question nicely.
I came home today and overheard my wife speaking on the phone. It was in Konglish so I could only understand portions of it. Grateful for the portions I could understand. She was talking with one of her close friends about another conversation she had today with a mentor about 3 elements involved in people changing. (These are my reflections from what I heard and I do not want neither my wife nor mentor to be debited with any poorly stated thoughts here).
The 3 ingredients are:
Understanding the Past
Knowledge of Virtue (aka, the good life)
Practicing the Virtue
I will ever so briefly share some initial thoughts about each one to spur our thinking.
Understanding the Past – looking at our personal history to understand where we get stuck and seeking healing and awareness.
Knowledge of Virtue – This is transfer of information of what the good life looks like.
Practicing the Virtue – Acting in wise ways that put into practice some aspect of the good life.
*
What percentage would you place for each category?
Initially I am only sketching these 3 briefly. In future writing I will take some aspects of life and run it through this grid. Possible topics to run through the grid are anger & anxiety. If you want to see some other aspect run through this grid please share in the comments.
*Note: I am not limiting myself to only these 3 ingredients as part of change but painting with very broad strokes to spur on thinking and conversation. You can keep spurring others on, including myself, if you comment below. I would appreciate that. I enjoy thoughtful conversations.
Encounter Love 