What if Irony is Judging Others for Lacking Empathy?
When someone does something
we dislike
we tend to become
self-absorbed.
They hurt
“me.”
They disrespected
“me.”
They don’t appreciate
“me.”
Me.
Me.
Me.
When we realize empathy,
we often see
that the behavior we considered
to be about
“me”
had less to do with
“me”
and more to do with
them
feeling unsupported.
Writing down
our mind
and sharing it
with others
can make it much easier
for them to read
our mind.
“When
did you start losing
trust
in the CTO?” I asked
the CEO.
“Our 3rd co-founder
was underperforming.
He came to us one day
to explain
that his underperformance
was due
to his father’s
illness.”
he answered.
“After he left,
the CTO told me in private
that he believed
that
was just an excuse.”
he continued.
“Sure,
it may have been
an excuse.
But the 3 of us
had been friends
for 10 years
before founding
the company.
I could easily see
how the CTO
would judge me the same way
if I were in a pinch.
…
I no longer felt
she was with me.”
he concluded.
We know
we should be
more kind.
We know
we should be
more understanding.
We know
we should be
more present.
What’s difficult
is being this way
when we feel
that others
are not being this way
with us.
To become one
is not
to be
the same.
No two “things”
can ever be
the same.
Especially so
if you consider
their locations.
To become one
can be
to become one
of a new kind.
Just as two rings
can become
one chain.
“I don’t know how
to persuade him” said the founder.
“What
do you want to have happen?”
I asked.
“I want to persuade him.”
she responded.
“No.
What do you want to have happen
by persuading him?”
I asked again.
“…”
“I want you
to move your focus away from the how
to what it is you really want.” I remarked,
breaking the silence.
“What do you want?”
I asked again.
“I want…
…
I want to feel supported.” she answered,
after much thought.
“When’s the last time
you felt supported by him?”
I asked.
“I’ve never felt supported by him.”
she answered.
“Then what makes you so sure
that persuading him
is the way to feel supported?”
I asked.
The person
whose love,
validation,
and respect we need
is often also the person
whose need for love,
validation,
and respect
we neglect
to appreciate
or understand fully.
There are times
when we cannot reconcile
the conflict between
what is right
for us
and what is right
for them.
A paradox.
This is a place,
where we may recognize
what is right for others,
but feel stuck
because what is right for us
seems negated
by their’s.
Let us learn the choice
to give and receive support
in this place.
A place
of struggle.
Support
that can help us all realize empathy
so we can finally see
where it is
we previously did not look
and respect it
so as to let
the paradox dissolve
and give rise
to a new way
of being
together.
Validation
has somehow become
a dirty word.
So has attention.
It’s as if
seeking validation
or attention
is shameful.
…
Human beings need
validation
and attention.
Without it,
we’ll die
a slow death.
It’s one thing
to suggest behavioral changes
as to how
when
and from whom
people seek validation
or attention.
It’s quite another
to shame
the human need
for attention
or validation.
This may only increase
the tension
living inside
humanity,
and, in turn,
may either provoke
the very behaviors we dislike
or merely make it
less visible,
and perhaps,
as a result,
make it,
more
dangerous.
“Do you know
what my co-founder told me?.”
the founder asked,
rhetorically.
“If you want to go fast,
go alone.
If you want to go far,
go together.”
he smirked,
before continuing.
“He doesn’t seem to realize
that there are few times
when I feel more alone
than when I’m together
with him.”
