Bill Gates quoted, "If we have optimism without empathy then it doesn't matter how much we master the secrets of science, we're not really solving problems, we're just working on puzzles." 

In an era of the fast-paced rhythm of life, wherein people have to find time for themselves; how out of the blue the subtle word- empathy can emerge? Is empathy only confined to billionaires as it is easy for them to walk the talk, and it's not our problem?  Well, here's a secret- empathy is no rocket science but rather a basic human trait. Empathy, when employed into your behavior shines like a Kohinoor. It has got only benefits and gives us an edge over the others. Want to know how empathy is the Genie for us? Keep reading.

Before diving into the core of empathy, let's decode its meaning. Empathy roots from the Ancient Greek word ἐμπάθεια (empatheia), that translated into simple terms, mean the ability to view what a person is going through and understand her/his feelings. To be precise, 'Be in the shoes of others'. Empathy is rekindling the kindness within oneself and addressing the problems cognitively while keeping the interests of all. In a technology-driven world, empathy becomes the pressing need. It's a manly trait to be there for someone when the individual is clouded with darkness. That's where empathy comes into play and shines even today because artificial intelligence doesn't have this feature, that is, to be able to understand human feelings, comfort them and hold their backs at the times of adversity. In fact,  empathy not only holds true during the dark phase but also being genuinely happy for others' success. However, empathy for the majority of the time is coupled with dark emotions. The only reason being everyone wants a share in people's success, but when the latter fail they leave her/him to their own fate. When one empathizes with others during their difficulties and stands by them, it differentiates her/him from the masses and makes them shine like a Kohinoor. By simply understanding what one is going through and helping them out of the mess, is a trait of a leader and the man people look up to. The base of any innovation or technology is to understand people's problems and then come up with a solution- here too the property of empathy is applied. When unconsciously empathy is applied, one can see the fruits we can reap. Then just conceptualize how being empathetic organically can attract one's character. At the end of the day, people are only going to remember you for the character shown in the most challenging situation and then take you as an inspiration.

Daniel Goleman and Paul Ekman, the celebrated psychologists have put across the elements that fit into empathy perfectly. These 3 elements are- cognitive, emotional, and compassionate. To begin with, cognitive emphasizes on intellectual thinking, that is, involving consciousness, placing yourself in their shoes, and comprehending the possible responses to pan out the situation. This thinking also involves intuition. So cognitive thinking is about what would the person be thinking and how he would respond to it. Followed by emotional empathy, it is to understanding why the person is feeling the way he is feeling. It is that component of empathy wherein one actively feels and urges to stand by them. It involves acting in accordance to what the heart says and blocking the logical reasoning of the brain. Finally, yet importantly, it is compassion. The ability to be concerned about the people surrounding you. When you are concerned, you are bound to stretch your helping arm and pull them out of the chaos. You fully support them through their tough phase as you are moved by what they are experiencing. 

In a nutshell, your understanding of the situation, your feeling towards them, and your concern shown are the elements that makeup empathy.

As mentioned earlier empathy has got your back and you will reap benefits copiously. To be more precise, even in the world of business, they lay more importance on emotional quotient than intelligent quotient. This is because empathy helps in honing a lot of industry  skills that becomes paramount while dealing with customers or clients or even manager and senior management. For instance, empathy indirectly helps one in assessing the needs of the customer and based on it making profits. It is useful in negotiating, wherein one can actually play the reverse psychology and thus convince their clients with their proposals. Another vital aspect of empathy is that it assures safety. One can feel and be secure around empathetic beings solely because they don't question and only support as empathetic beings are concerned beings. To add on, an unpopular statement condition that 'empathy develops creativity'. It holds true as the cognitive empathy leads to reinvigorating of the intellectual thinking, reasoning, and solving sophisticated problems. When one evolves with these features, gradually they tend to be more creative, panning out with solutions promptly.

One can master the art of empathy by:

1. being an active listener: People usually don't open up with their problems, but may give out subtle hints. By actively listening one can understand what lies in between the lines.
2. being concerned: When you show concern to people, that gives them the boost to confront any situation with grit. Infact, they don't feel alone anymore and a ray of hope emerges from fear.
3. being conscious of emotions: Accept their way of approaching the problem. Don't be harsh on them, let it be a slow process. It would take some time for one to come to terms with reality.
4. not being judgmental:  If you are judging someone, you are actually assessing her/him from your point of view, which is in vain. Rather be open to whatever people speak out. Actually by observing you tend to come up with more creative ideas and that eventfully amplifies your intelligence and aura.

To encapsulate, empathy requires no degrees in psychology or to be followed only by the rich. The act of empathy is very much needed in this world, wherein corruption for personal benefits prevails. People have gone back to barbaric ways of treating humans. They no longer understand the importance of connecting, being together, and savoring success in unison. Between birth and death, lies a life- that has to be lived, and the impact you have made in people's lives stands as a testimonial to a great life lived. Therefore, be kind, be empathetic and be human.  

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