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Whatever Happened To Empathy?

I’m writing this as we are once again thrown into panic mode with a variant of Covid 19 in the UK. I just read a news article which stated that children could now be on an ‘equal playing field’ to  contract this new mutation. As a mother to two toddlers this is extremely unnerving. Just as we thought things were beginning to look up, this new variant has raised its ugly head. 


My phone has been flooded with concerned messages from well wishers largely residing in other countries. I am truly grateful for this. Travel to and from the UK has been banned by most countries across the world. I’m not sure when next I will be able to see my parents and grandma. Our second son hasn’t even met most of his family yet. Whilst I’m trying to process this, my phone is being bombarded with snapshots of get togethers and meetings. I am then left pondering about when this opportunity will ever come our way, if at all. The situation is bleak; pardon my pessimism. 


So, that brings me to the question of whatever happened to empathy? The Oxford dictionary defines empathy as “the ability to understand another person’s feelings, experience etc”. This is vastly different from sympathy. The Oxford dictionary further explains “a key difference between empathy and sympathy is that the latter involves a degree of judgment or evaluation - the sympathiser assumes what another person might feel and then extends that emotional experience to pity”. Here, lies the problem. I don’t want your sympathy, all I am asking for is empathy. 


Seeing snapshots of life returning to normal in other countries and being constantly reminded of it is hard to process especially at an emotional level. We are being isolated as a country. Fair enough. Covid has done enough damage to our health both physical and mental. We can all do with a bit of empathy in these difficult times. 


Of course have fun, meet family and friends if you’re able and allowed to. All I’m saying is display a bit of empathy because there are others who don’t have these options and rubbing it in is doing more harm than good. 


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