Read the full article which is published on Philosophy Bits (external link)At some point during childhood, we first realize that the people around us have experiences just like ours. We notice that the same things that cause us pain also seem to cause them pain. In this way, we begin to develop empathy for the people closest to us, which means that when they suffer, we feel their suffering as if it were our own. We see them not as truly other, but as part of us.
With further life experience, our sphere of empathy usually expands to include our friends and members of our community. We see the differences between us and them as less important than what is shared, and our solidarity broadens to include them. Sometimes our empathy continues to grow in this way until it encompasses all of humanity or even all living beings.
But sometimes our empathy is stunted and remains limited to those in our immediate circle. This is a problem, because we cannot act from compassion when we are unable to empathize with others. It is through empathy that we become capable of intuiting needs, and compassion is action to meet needs. Compassion is also the only way to bring an end to our suffering and create joy in its place.
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