ONE WORD MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN

I was reading a story of pet rescue, when i began to ponder on why not everyone can be like this? Will it not then make this world a better place.. So, came the question to my mind,

"What basically makes this world better place to live in?"

Is it education? Then most educated families or societies would never have misery

Is it Medicine? Best of medical care can still mean, patient suffering

Is it Technology? Then every great technological invention should have solved every human problem…

Is it Relationships, religion? But then we know lot of violence in both relationships and religion

All of these have definitely enabled progress in this world, but not completely. So, there should be something common encompassing all the above..What is that????

After lot of thought, came the answer -EMPATHY…

Let's look at it why?

1. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - All the greatest of advancements in S & T were born not out of the technical geniuses. There were geniuses since time immemorial. But only those who had EMPATHY and felt for other's problems came up with solutions…

2. MEDICINE - Again, we may say advancements. But the best of doctors in the world become so, not for their skillful use of surgical apparatus, but for EMPATHY… Because, unless a doctor is EMPATHETIC to the pain of the patient, he would never be able to provide a holistic care that is beyond medicine.

3. SERVICE & PRODUCTS - It's a well known fact that the best customer service satisfaction companies or the greatest of product companies produced what they did, because of this one word, EMPATHY… In fact, the premise of such companies starts not with, "what we sell", but "what is the need?".

4. HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS - One may say Love. But unless you feel for others like the way you feel for yourself, where is the question of love? And that is again EMPATHY… Be it our domestic helps, our classmates, our co-workers or our parents, or our bosses, or our clients- The relationships begin to flourish and will sustain only when you can understand their needs, both explicit and latent… And step prior to understanding the needs, is feeling for them…. So, EMPATHY

5. GOVERNANCE - Our politicians, bureaucrats or other public administrators all fail miserably not because they lack the ability to govern. But, a will to make efforts to understand and feel for the governed. Examples: We will not have a shouting administrator if he/she knew the person waiting for him/her comes by spending 50 Rs, 100 Km, to get a sign so as to get a fee waiver, which would enable him/her to study further… A politician will NOT enjoy the privilege of stopping entire traffic and pass by if he/she is EMPATHETIC towards the waiting ambulances, school buses etc.. A road contractor will not use substandard quality of concrete if he is EMPATHETIC towards the users of the roads and understands that using a cheap material would mean, potholes, which would result in spine aches, accidents and many more…

Last but NOT the least…

6. RESPECT FOR LIFE- A pregnant/injured dog, an old woman on road, a tired bus conductor, a hen for sacrifice, a buffalo in slaughter house, a thirsty bird in our apartment complex - When did we last think from their position? Life is same for every living being on this planet. Only when we are EMPATHETIC… Once we are EMPATHETIC and feel for them the way we feel for ourselves, we will see many more of us feeding dogs, taking them to hospitals instead of ignoring, helping the old woman cross the road, question the hen sacrifice or the slaughter house, keep bowls of water for birds… The list can go on and on….

But unless there is EMPATHY, all these are "the other"… And in the other, we will begin to exclude everything possible - other species of life, other country people, other state people, other caste, other gender, other family etc etc… And this how our circles of love are curtailed and fewer and smaller our circles of love, greater is the hatred and violence...