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Empathy or Compassion?

By Rodney Bullard
CEO The Same House PBC | Former Senior Executive at Chick-fil-A / Global CSR, ESG and Marketing Leader | Best-Selling Author | Former AUSA | Former Air Force JAG l Corporate and Non-profit Board Director

“Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” – Mohsin Hamid 

Empathy and concern go hand-in-hand and trigger how a person responds to a situation. While the heart is essential, it’s a wired response that often activates based on the people closest to us. This can cause further division if we fail to see the other side’s perspective or situation.

Whereas empathy is passive, compassion is active. Compassion causes us to assess the situation and ask, “how can I help?” It’s answering the call to ease the struggle regardless of whether we are comfortable. Compassionate people are focused on solutions and how they can create a positive impact. They build collaboration, trust, and loyalty due to their generosity. 

When empathy and compassion work together, they build bridges of great strength. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, the devastation was unimaginable. Without being asked or paid, emergency personnel, health, and rescue workers from all over the country showed up to help a city of people who were suffering. 

 

With our country empathetic to the tragedy, many people showed compassion and found ways to help. From a 9-year-old’s lemonade stand to mothers collecting necessary supplies from their neighbors, people from every walk of life found ways to show kindness and understanding. It didn’t take substantial individual commitments, large amounts of money, or a particular type of education. Collectively all of these things combined created a massive impact.

 

That’s where we can all start. Whether it’s a simple act like raking leaves for an elderly neighbor or spending an hour mentoring someone less fortunate, we all can turn our empathy into action. It starts with how we think and responds to those we can help. This solid foundation allows us to build bridges with an intention that keeps us connected.

 

A bridge is built to connect two separate areas. It is made with symmetry because each side is equally important. It doesn’t tell people how to cross the bridge or what to do once they get to the other side. It simply provides the connection, so people have the option of getting to new destinations and resources.

Question: Where will your bridge lead?

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