Empathy

“We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.”

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

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As a word it is perhaps overused

As an action, it is too often left undone

Empathy

When I look at the things that puzzle me

In these difficult, darkening times

I find that basically one thing

“explains” the chaos we are in.

A lack of empathy

Part of our problem is self-absorption

This radical focus on ourselves that has become so much of our culture

My wealth.  My power.  My safety.  My comfort

This focus imprisons us and leaves our hearts fettered

Faux empathy is no better

Our “thoughts and prayers” responses to the pain of others

Where we sympathize rather than empathize

Mutter “poor soul” under our breath,

While failing to enter into the pain of the other

It is this “entering into” that is needed so desperately

We need to enter into the pain of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, friends

of those gunned down in our malls, our streets, our school

if we do that, never again can we worry so much about “my right

to carry whatever gun I want, whenever I want, wherever I want.”

We need to enter into the pain of the person dying of a curable illness

Who cannot get healthcare

We need to enter into the pain of the families leaving all they have ever known,

With the meager treasurers they have scraped together

In order to flee for safety

Here

We need to enter into the pain of the LGBTQI person who loves God

but is excluded by their church from participating fully

and told that they are “sin” because of who they are

It is our failure to “enter into” the pain of others

That causes us to build walls

Choose guns over children

To shame the poor

To demonize those different from us

Jesus “entered in” our world

Our pain

Our sorrow

Our death

Entered into it so fully he experienced a hideous death

At the hands of those in power

Who believed wealth and influence were more important

Than people, or even God

Jesus entered into our pain,

Even while the crowds around him cheered at that pain

And cheerfully sent him to his death

We need empathy

We need to enter into the pain of others

Not as shallow sympathizers

But as those fully engaged

For only then will we truly love

And only then will we truly follow the path

Of Jesus

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“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.”

― Henri J.M. Nouwen