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Essay On Empathy

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Essay On Empathy
According to the dictionary, empathy is defined as “the understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives”. I find it difficult to understand that a person could lack such consideration and compassion for another living creature, but, clearly, I have seen otherwise. On many occasions, I have witnessed disconcerting behavior both aimed at myself, or other individuals and have questioned the our society's complacent moral standards. For as long as I can remember, my ability to treat others with kindness has been second nature, and a vital part in my moral practices and beliefs. Faced with many challenges during my childhood, my empathetic disposition was not only enhanced, but, undoubtedly, the strongest building block in my ethical …show more content…
The blueprint of an individual’s ethical standards would automatically include empathy to the highest degree. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. The best we can hope for is that somewhere along the journey we will endure experiences, of both positive and negative influence, that will shape our moral beliefs into something we can be proud of. I feel fortunate to have endured my own hard times with such a generously loving and supportive mother. She was a pillar of strength, while our comfortable life crumbled around us. As for the children who chose to ridicule that overweight and bucktoothed girl, I would thank them today. Of course, I thought my world would never be the same again after that morning, but I survived. Ironically, their negative influence promoted the most endearing quality of my ethical foundation, empathy. Perhaps for some people the ability to be empathetic is second nature. For others, nature may have to run its course, and teach the art of humanity through painful experience. I have often wondered about those children at the bus stop. Although graciously accepted that morning so long ago, would that always be the case? When would life present them with their own “bus stop”? When would they remember that overweight, bucktoothed girl, and regret their behavior? Sadly enough, maybe they never

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