Preview

Personal Reflective Essay: Mirroring Effects Of Empathy

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
865 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Personal Reflective Essay: Mirroring Effects Of Empathy
Maintaining a capacity for empathy in contrast to pitying the pain of others creates a mirroring effect of compassion with potential to reach countless individuals beyond oneself. A disconnect lies within the use of sympathy to connect to others who are struggling and can often create a patronizing infliction that belittles the individual’s pain. Every individual fights a complex battle throughout their life, and the weapons to win one’s war can often be found in the advice from those who are willing to take the step to relate to another’s level. In the past three months, persisting through a challenge has allowed me to obtain an ability to give back to others that are dealing with similar feelings of discontent by sharing methods I used to bring myself out of confusion in my studies. By empathizing to the hardships …show more content…
This confusion embodied itself into a mountainous, far-reaching wall, and I had miraculously found a ladder in which to overcome the blockade and transport myself into a plain of understanding. Once I reached the other side, I realized how lonesome it was, and it isolated me from the rest of my class. I do not favor a position of being the only person who does well in an environment; I believe withholding knowledge for the sake of being the only person who can excel is a corrupt logical stance. A disheartening multitude of individuals in school wish to compete with me in academics and other means, but I am a firm believer that we can all win by elevating each other and working together. There is more to life than trying to be the “best,” and the notion that a singular person is somehow “best” in all aspects due to grades alone is absurd. The only person I compete with is myself, and I do not compare my own worth by using other’s accomplishments as a template, because we all face differing

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    On Compassion Analysis

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “And yet, it may be that these are the conditions that finally give birth to empathy, the mother of compression. We cannot deny the existence of the helpless as their presence grows. It is impossible to insulate ourselves against what is at our very doorstep. I don’t believe that one is born compassionate. Compassion is not a character trait like a sunny disposition. It must be learned, and it is learned by having adversity at our windows, coming through the gates of our yards, the walls of our towns, adversity that becomes so familiar that we begin to identify and empathize with it” (58). Ascher describes how daily experience with the less fortunate eventually causes one to become compassionate, because ignoring the misfortune is not possible. Seeing hardship on a daily basis becomes part of one’s life because we are “so familiar” and it causes us to recognize it easily and understand. She claims it’s learned because as one grows more familiar with it, one is more able to recognize with it. One does not have compassion if they are never surrounded by hardship; however, if one is always surrounded by hardship, eventually one loses the feelings they once had about it because it becomes too common. Eventually one may lose compassion or fear for “adversity.”…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Essay On Empathy

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages

    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…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The abilities an individual possesses are an accumulation of their previous life experiences and the various competences which have been practiced for many years. Often times, these skills are overlooked and taken for granted as we never actually think about them in terms of their effect on our potential career choices. After thinking about my personal skills, I compiled a list which included; communication, cooperation, patience, listening, helping others and perseverance; all skills which I have possessed for majority of my lifetime and have used to overcome many challenges. One example in particular which required me to draw on many of these skills, was fairly recently; I am a dance instructor for children ages four to seven and there was a young boy who joined the class later than the rest of the students. I noticed that he was struggling…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    frankie and alice

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Empathy is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but having the will to muster enough courage to do something about it. In a way, empathy is predicated upon hope.”…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    This was a really eye opening experience. The inventory got me thinking about many different aspects and how I learn and approach different problems and situations. The implication is that the different selfs (physical, emotional, social, critical, creative, and passionate) affect how you learn. In some situations you might be more confident in yourself than others. However, after you complete the self profile it is not really well defined about what the term survival, maintenance, and enhancement means. I can deduce that the survival means that I am just getting by, the maintence means I am trying but have to work at it, and enhancement means that I have mostly mastered that portion of myself. This would open up a discussion with the support team as to what your strengths and weaknesses are. I know for myself by thinking about the questions, it made more aware and as I go into a situation, I might think differently about how I approach the…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I always strived to do the best that I can, in everything that I do, and this especially applies to academics. In 6th grade, I joined the honors program at my middle school; from then on forward, I made sure than my work was of high enough quality so that the following year I would be placed in honors courses. These courses are what I believe prepared me for my success in high school. I got a taste of what it was like to be in an environment where every pupil was hungry for an education and for knowledge, and I grew to want to learn as much as my classmates. I entered high school with courses that upperclassmen had that challenged me more than anything else had before. It was during my freshman year of high school that I realized that I couldn’t…

    • 280 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Finding True Compassion

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In human society, man is surrounded by those less privileged, those in a state of desperation. In her piece “On Compassion”, Barbara Ascher describes brief scenes that capture the basis of transaction between the helpless and those in a position to give help, arguing that the only way society can achieve true compassion is by truly identifying with the suffering of others.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I’ve always had lofty, perhaps unrealistic. In middle school, I naively assumed that I would be in top 12% of my class, by simply making A’s. I tried my hardest in every classes, but still wasn’t enough. I never reached my goal of being in top 12%, as a result my self-esteem plummeted. I started high school with high hopes once again. Perhaps even more naively, I pursued the goal of being ranked number one. I was too young to realize the concept of “realistic” goals. My biggest obstacle was my state of mind. I brought my self-down. I told myself the only way to be the best is to be better than everyone else. Setting such a high goal did help me in the end. After the second semester of freshman year, I received my rank. I was ranked number 10;…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Leveling the playing field in the same manner as in “Harrison Bergeron” is not the way to go, suppressing enormous waves of talent and inventions that would be seen and used if people had the freedom to use their individual skills and intellect. I believe, instead, that a society should encourage excellence, but also instill into children that it is okay not to be the best. This would be a delicate balance, but it would make people more accepting of their faults while at the same time inspiring them to improve themselves. It makes me wonder how we can create a society where people are fairly competitive but do not feel inferior or upset when someone ‘beats them at their game’. I think the mentality of “everyone is a winner” is not the optimal route. Speaking from personal experience, this just makes children doubt all the praise they receive (no one tells them differently), more sensitive to critique (they are not used to it), and feel stressed and in constant competition because they have to stand out from the crowd (if everyone is being rewarded,…

    • 1885 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Every day we are given a fresh start; another chance to move forward in our lives and accomplish the things we thrive to achieve day to day. A new day can also liberate us from our past mistakes and provide us with a chance to change our ways. We are all faced with misery and misfortune at points in our lives, some more than others. We must recognize that it is not the burden in itself that shapes who we are, but how well or how poorly we deal with the difficulties. Sometimes misfortunes can be seen in a negative light; because it seems unjust, therefore we response in a negative matter, and become negligent to change. Overcoming tragic events is what truly counts, for we are meant to live happily and in acceptance that there are things that we cannot change. In many cases, individuals seem to feel as though they’ve lost an amount so great that they are unable to free themselves of the pain. This perspective often leads to further suffering. A Temporary Matter by Jhumpa Lahou and Kiss Me by Andrew Pyper demonstrate a loss of identity, negligence towards communication, and eventually leading to the destruction of a relationship.…

    • 1444 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    References: Lilius, J., et all, (2003). Compassion at work. Retrieved on 3 Oct 2011 from www.compassionlab.com/docs/whatgoodiscompassion.pdf.…

    • 780 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When others bring themselves higher than other people, others may not think that they are better but will also prove to them that they are not. In real life people have higher grades than me and show it off so i do is prove that i am equally as smart and get good grades aswell and there won’t be any…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    I have a tendency to sympathise rather than empathise with an individual’s feelings. This is because it is easier to tell someone who is going through a hard time that “everything will be ok”. However, by practising this skill I believe I am developing an understanding of the difference and why empathising will be more beneficial for the client.…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion, the question is, who has the better of what? The work “Mine is better” discusses this question in detail. It explains and tells the story of how this very question gets raised from childhood to adulthood. It explains the value in humanities eyes in having the best of the best and always wanting better. On that note, I completely agree that the goal is to always want the best and have the…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    We are all cripples; or we all cripple ourselves in one way or another. It may not be as obvious as those who are in a wheelchair or those who live with any host of diseases that deform the body, but nevertheless we all have issues. Some may battle serious diseases such as depression or anorexia, while others battle more obscure diseases like narcissism, kleptomania, or social ineptitude. More than those who would admit it have addictions to sex, drugs, or alcohol. As we battle our own issues, our attention tends to turn inward and we don’t realize that others suffer as well. Empathy allows us to understand that every single one of us struggles in some way. Compassion allows us to realize that nobody can get through life alone. If we allow empathy and compassion to guide our actions then we can free each other from our individual struggles.…

    • 2025 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays