Empathy Cultivates Empathy
The Golden State | ©️ 2022 Alicia Kae Miller
Do you know the feeling of expansion? For context, appreciate how small you feel when standing at the edge of any significant body of water, the precipice of a cliff, or a place seemingly with no frontier.
Conversely, consider the contraction you physically feel in bumper-to-bumper traffic, a setting where you are voiceless, or any space that makes you want to run screaming barefoot into a field of wildflowers.
I liken these experiences to the presence and absence of empathy.
Contraction/absence of empathy leaves you feeling like you did in grammar school when you received no invitation to the cool kid's birthday party or were not invited to go to prom in high school.
Self-doubt soon followed and compelled you to question your self-worth - am I not [insert word] enough?
Flip the script and take a deep breath.
Now exhale and settle into the expansive/presence of empathy and how you feel when someone takes the time to see you, hear you, and ask thoughtful questions to understand you better. Straight up dignity, baby.
The remarkable thing about dignity is that when we grace each other with inclusion that comes from being empathetic, bonds of trust and mutual respect are forged. The strength of this bond shores up loyalty.
Until we meet again, listen…to…learn. ❤️
Yours in Solidarity, -akm
October 2023