A superpower called empathy

"When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That's when you can get more creative in solving problems." — Stephen Covey

Text by Prarthana Ajith

Inhaltsübersicht

A superpower called empathy

Image: © ImagineGolf/istockphoto.com

Legend has it that a long time ago, villagers in the Solomon Islands followed a unique method for felling trees. If a tree was too large to be axed, woodsmen with special powers would creep in on the tree at the break of dawn, and scream at the top of their lungs and curse the tree. They would continue to do this for a period of thirty days, at the end of which the tree would supposedly die and fall over. The concept behind this act was that all the hollering and cursing would kill the spirit of the tree. While we won’t find any proof to the truth of this legend, the message that it carries is profound.

What is it that causes humans to fall over like a cursed tree? The answer is apathy. Known to cause the highest distress levels in human beings, apathy is what prevents them from being able to give their best in what they do.

Living life to its fullest

Empathy, on the other hand, is ...