Empathy or Sympathy

     Why not avert an unpleasant encounter?  Momentarily placing yourself in the other persons circumstance might be all that it takes.

     The dictionary defines empathy as; "The intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the thoughts, feelings, or attitudes of another". In other words, it is sensing another persons feelings and perspectives and taking an active interest in their battle.  Sympathy is a concern for the well-being of another and may begin with a feeling of empathy but may not. For example, if you see someone on the television that is deaf you may feel empathy or sympathy for her but it will probably be more sympathetic. If your grandmother comes to visit and you know she is hard of hearing in her right ear you will tend to be empathetic to her plight and talk louder if you are on her left or you will make a point to talk to her right side.
     So, what is my point? What if the person that you are about to "give a piece of your mind" to is fighting a battle completely unseen? Maybe a battle for her very life. It could be any number of things, almost everyone is fighting a battle of some kind. Would the outcome be different if you imagined just for a second what might be going on in her life? Maybe she's sick or recently lost a loved one. Maybe her seeming lack of intelligence stems from fear of her control freak employer. Or maybe your attitude is simply being reflected back at you by the other person. Maybe the battle is yours.
     Empathy takes practice but a moment of thought can make the day brighter for both parties involved or it can set the stage not just for a bad day but possibly estranged relationships that may take years to heal.