Realizing Empathy | Blog

I’ve noticed
that one of the easiest ways to get likes
is to say something that make people feel heard.

One
of the easiest ways to make people feel heard
is to bad mouth people
they don’t feel heard by.

Judging employees as lazy
may fulfill the bosses need to feel heard.

Judging bosses as toxic
may fulfil the employees need to feel heard.

Bu this only creates divide.

To go beyond this
is the challenge we face.

May we dream big
even seemingly impossible
dreams.

But then to make steps toward it
may we
do only as much as we can take responsibility

The smallest simplest yet heaviest
burden we CAN carry.

Otherwise,
we bite more than we can chew
as we get in over our heads.

Or
if we cannot carry the burden
may we have the courage
to admit our inability to take the responsibility
alone
and ask for help.

When someone
underperforms
we can let them go
or support them
toward better performance.

But supporting them
because we’re afraid of the conflict
that may ensure in the process of separation
breeds impatience
frustration.

Why
do you look
like you have no anxiety
or worry?

asked the founder.

I have anxiety
and worry,
its just that
I can share every single one of them
with my wife

Without her
I’d be nothing.

Once upon
a time,
we were not merely an individual,
but a part of our mother.

The physical separation
between
our so-called “self”
and our mother
was not so clear.

Which implies
that “self”
is a learned
and developed concept.

Then the question remains.

What is the platform
that existed prior to the concept

Of self
is the concept of self
standing on

“My wife
is driving me crazy.”
said the Founder.

“Why?”
I asked.

“She asks me questions.
I give her the answer
and she says she doesn’t want
my answer.”

“Have you ever sent an email
in the middle of the night
to one of your executive team members
not expecting an immediate reply
but because you want to stay on the same page
and if you didn’t tell him now
you may forget?”
I asked

“Sure.”
answered the founder.

Has anyone complained that you’re sending emails late at night
because they thought they had to respond to your email right away?

“Sure. So I told them I don’t want them to answer right away.”
answered the founder.

“What if your wife
is doing the same?”
I asked.

That she’s just sharing because
it matters to her that she shares this
because there may be a time later when this info
not too important now
could matter
and she doesn’t want to have to remember to go all the way back
and share all the background before talking about something she wants to talk about
it’s just a much more efficient use of energy
to maintain updated shared context.