Reaching Out

A student came in today, visibly miserable. The problem is irrelevant, but our feelings were not. Human beings have an incredible capacity for empathy; so much so that at times we shut off those feelings because the pain is so great. As a member of the human race, I have experienced both the pain of empathy and the numbness of it's absence.

On the most basic level we have two choices: Positive and Negative. The negative response is always the easiest, we don't have to expend the energy we have, as valuable as we perceive it, because we have our own problems that we wish to spend that energy on. The positive, however, requires compassion and personal reflection - two things which require gratuitous amounts of energy. A lot of times we are unwilling to make such a selfless commitment to loved ones, let alone strangers.

Compassion requires self love and a willingness to impose your will (the loving part) to let another human being know that they are not alone. It's an incredibly vulnerable position, and often times as the empath, we must choose the vulnerable stance before another will allow themselves to be vulnerable enough to share with us.

Rarely, with emotions, are we able to solve problems with a conversation. With emotion, change happens from within. Through compassion we are lending others our strength so that they are able to cleanse the wounds of their heart. Some times this strength comes in the form of wisdom, sometimes through physical affection, but always in the form of love.

Back to my student; he was having girl problems. It seems at that age, girl problems really can seem like the end of the world; then again, that's something we really don't ever grow out of. As I project this to you, remember the pain you've felt - it is a bridge to connect with your fellow man.  Do not lament together in pain, rejoice with love! The pain of empathy will always be alleviated, through love you will find comfort in one another and begin healing your own wounds as well as theirs.