Some say
realizing empathy
requires
imagination
Sure.
But perhaps more importantly,
realizing empathy
develops
our imagination.
Age
As we age
we may realize
that what we once considered
“old“
is “young”,
while what we once considered
“young”
is younger.
Yes, and
Our parents
can have the best of intentions
and yet
hurt us
in unimaginable ways.
Our
Myth of the Self-Made
“You must have had
so much will power
to finish your book!”
someone asked.
“No.
I finished it,
because I promised
my kickstarter backers.”
I answered.
“You must have had
so much courage
to leave your comfortable job
to go to art school.”
someone asked.
“No.
I went to art school,
because it was the only ray of hope
I was offered
by a stranger.”
I answered.
Everything I’ve done
that seems difficult
was done
because someone supported me
to do it.
What I Meant to Say
I yelled at you
for not getting the work done
on time.
What I meant to say
was that Im afraid
to
I
What I meant to say
was that
I
What I meant to say
was that
Doubt vs Regret
The fear
that we might regret
isn’t it
it’s more
that living life
with constant
doubt
is not healthy
be honest about the doubt
and either find ways to remove that doubt
even if there is no guarantee
Smile
“I overreacted today.”
said the CEO.
I waited.
“They think
I’m a bad leader.” he continued.
I waited.
“They think
I’m toxic.” he continued.
“I don’t know
why I cannot control this.”
he lamented.
“How could others support you
so that you won’t overreact?”
I asked
finally.
“I don’t know.”
he replied.
“What do you not
want?”
I asked again.
“I want them
to stop saying why my ideas
are bad.”
he said.
“Do you want them
to say your ideas
are good?”
I asked.
“No,
of course not.”
he said.
“What do you want?”
I asked again.
“I…
I just want them
to listen.”
he said,
finally.
Title,
On my business card,
it says
I’m CEO
of Realizing Empathy.
When I introduce myself
I’m a coach.
But deep down
I’m
an artist.
Gratitude of Support
We feel immense gratitude
when the values we wished to instill someone
is echoed from them
That makes all the effort we put int
to support others
worth ith
Lonely not Isolated
When we see art
we see our loneliness depicted in the art
and in that moment
we realize that we’re not alone
in our loneliness
and somehow we can feel a surge of strength supported
At the end of the day
we are all alone at some level
Unless we hold hands with another person
and die exactly at the same time with them
we will die
alone.
Unless we vow to only make decisions
unless someone else approves of our decisions
we will make decisions
alone.
The question is
are we isolated
in our loneliness
or are we
connected
through our loneliness
or supported in our loneliness