Change Agent

Austin, TX | 2021 © Alicia Kae Miller

During a recent phone call, a trusted friend told me that she heard someone suggest, "there is too much empathy in the world." Oddly enough, earlier in the day before our phone call, I listened to a somewhat similar sentiment firsthand.

After we ended our conversation, I felt winded.

Quite frankly, this line of thinking knocked the wind out of my sails for more than a minute. Then, as minutes turned to days, I thought deeply about why this lack of understanding continues to cause a continental divide among us.

I am curious, could it be that people mistake empathy, by Merriam-Webster definition, "the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions," for pity or sympathy?

If this is the case for you, then we need to have a heart-to-heart.

Let’s be honest.

Empathy is woven into everything that we do, individually and collectively.

So I ask you to please consider the following - who does not want to be respected? To be seen? To be heard? And, at times, to be left the heck alone. Recall that while we may not have personal experience with [insert word here], someone else most assuredly has.

Until we meet again, live in gratitude. ❤️

Yours in Solidarity, -akm

November 2021

PS I am sincere about the heart-to-heart. Please find me in old-school (ring-ring) and modern (DM) ways, and let's talk.

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