Empathy in Today’s World
Empathy is an interesting word and requires serious imagination. It’s being able to see the other person’s point of view, feel his or her pain and ironically it could be used to positive or negative effect.
This article Understanding Empathy: Can You Feel My Pain? really got me thinking. Patients are looking for doctors who empathize with them. So would a depressed patient feel better off if his doctor had been through depression himself? Sometimes that would help.
There are racial issues too. Sometimes you would prefer to have a doctor who is from your own country or who shares the same religion. That is something that doctors have to deal with on a daily basis.
Would you be more comfortable if your child was taught by someone from your own country, racial origin or religious affinity? It is a difficult question to answer but if you think about it honestly, maybe you will surprise yourself.
If you are a woman, do you prefer female doctors? And vice versa?
It’s kind of complicated but maybe we believe that someone who shares something of our culture can empathize with us better and serve our purpose. Something I found very interesting since we live in a global potpourri and we can no longer choose what kind of doctor,teacher or grocer we would like to meet.
lifestyle, empathy, globalization

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