The development of empathy is a huge step in childhood. Watching my own kids I find there are so many different nuances in how and when they are able to place themselves in the experiences of other people and imagine how that person must feel. Some kids definitely get it more easily and faster than others. As an adult, I find that there are times I can easily imagine being in the shoes of another person and times it takes a bit of a stretch.
A friend shared this piece recently on the natural stages of living through a life changing crisis like we are at present. It took me some time to recognize that because our family started quarantine a week earlier than our community, we are also in a different place than many people on the journey through the stages of grief and change. The line that stuck out most to me in the whole piece is “They are on their own journey.” This perspective has helped me have greater empathy for the vast diversity of ways in which people are facing this crisis.
In the moments of wanting to comfort a friend who is describing an experience that troubles them in this crisis that I cannot begin to fathom – They are on their own journey – allows me to more completely see their journey and step into their experience for an empathic connection.
In the moments of witnessing political statements thrown around that horribly lack any semblance of the true love I vehemently believe must be the foundation of all politics – They are on their own journey – allows me to see their journey and step into their experience and why those particular beliefs make sense to that person.
They are on their own journey is a statement devoid of judgement. I am on my own journey. You are on your own journey. They are on their own journey. There are a multitude of explanations for how any of us got to these journeys, any of which you might choose to place your heart in.
The piece that I want to focus on for meditation, is recognizing the value of each of our own journeys for ourselves. Valuing your own journey is an essential piece of self-love. Valuing everyone else’s journeys as equally valid for each of those individual people is an act of unconditional love.
For meditation today:
- Find a comfortable position.
- Notice your breath. Begin to lengthen the exhales and inhales, engaging the diaphragm as previously taught.
- Ground to let go of anything which may no longer be needed on your current journey.
- Take a few breaths to consider your own journey. Consider what parts of this time are most difficult and what comes most easily for you. Feel the greatest love within you surrounding all of these things which make up your current journey.
- Consider how difficult those easy things may be for other people on their own journeys. Allow yourself a moment to recognize and respect that this is their journey. Consider how other people may struggle to see why your difficult things are so difficult. Allow yourself a moment to recognize that this is their journey, not yours. Take a few minutes to breathe and allow yourself to find peace with these differences.