“Opinion is really the lowest form of knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world. It requires profound purpose larger than the ‘self’ kind of understanding.” -Bill Bullard.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines empathy as, “The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing feelings, thoughts and experiences of another of either the past or present, without having the feelings, thoughts and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.” Simply put, it is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.

As opposed to ‘sympathy’, which limits itself to feeling sorry or pity for another, empathy digs deeper and has the ability to forge meaningful relationships between individuals.

Since empathy is a critical life skill to have both for interpersonal and intrapersonal growth, it becomes imperative to nurture it in early childhood. It is considered just the right time to help children develop the faculty to ‘step into another’s shoes.’

Young children have an innate sense of empathy, which needs to be recognized, appreciated and fostered. It reminds me of an incident quoted by Dr. Helen Riess, an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. On a plane ride, while most passengers were trying to deal with the shrieking cries of a very disturbed baby, a 3-year-old toddler went right up to the wailing infant and offered his own pacifier! Clearly, the toddler felt and experienced the agony of the baby and wanted to do something to soothe it. That, is empathy and all human beings are born with it.

Empathy in Education:

The world is ever changing bringing people closer to each other. Interactions are not just transactional. People are seeking to have deep and purposeful relationships with others personally and professionally. Thus, now more than ever, empathy has emerged as the single most essential competency one can possess. And what better way to facilitate this than in the form of education.

Education is an integral part of growing up. Since education is not just about academic learning, traits like kindness, empathy, caring for others etc. are crucial for well-rounded development.

The last few years have seen significant changes in the education domain. Smaller classrooms, trained and aware teachers, supportive school managements and well-exposed students have made way for empathy to make an impactful change in the lives of both, the students and teachers.

Sports and Empathy:

As much as sports is about winning, we cannot discount the fact that it equips us with skills to navigate through life. Sport teaches us to persevere, to accept wins and losses equally, patience, hard work and many such traits. But most of all, it has the ability to make us empathetic people. A classic example is this year’s Olympic Games where 2 high jumpers shared the gold medal is pure gold! Both the opponents were able to feel the pain, hard work and hardships of the other. Hence, it is absolutely paramount to incorporate sport on a higher level in our education system.

Empathy and the Teacher:

The word ‘teaching’ is now replaced with terms like ‘facilitation’, ‘mentoring’, ‘coaching’, ‘edifying’ etc. These words describe a process where both, the mentor and the mentee are in a symbiotic teaching and learning relationship. There is scope for both to teach and learn from each other. Karl Meninger, the American psychiatrist says, “What a teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” As much as a teacher is expected to “complete the portions”, it’s equally important for him/her to model behaviour, skills and values which they wish to imbibe in their students.

Below are a few ways in which a teacher can help facilitate empathy in young minds. These may help in building a life-long and meaningful teacher-student relationship, which transcends beyond the classroom:

• Be a model: Children see and pick up cues from adults, so give them something great to imitate. Try exhibiting empathy is class, with students, colleagues, parents, housekeeping staff etc.
• Inclusive Lessons: The classroom is a mixed bag, with learners possessing different abilities, strengths and weaknesses. An empathetic teacher would strive to cater to all their requirements. Their sensitivity would enable them to set-up Multiple Intelligence corners to involve kids having varied learning preferences. A slow learner or gifted child would not feel left out if the teacher is able to pick up on their cues and help them accordingly.
• Self-love and Self-empathy: One cannot give what one does not have. The teacher cannot disseminate the power of being an empathetic person if he/she is unable to empathize with oneself. A bad day, failures, vulnerabilities are all part of being human. It is absolutely ok for teachers to put their hand up and say, “I’m not ok, I am not at my best today, but I still love myself and am compassionate towards myself.” This teaches young children that it is it alright to feel bad, be vulnerable, and yet strive to achieve excellence despite all hurdles.
• Quiet Time: In between the hustle of a busy day, a 10-to-15-minute quiet time can help children regroup and rejuvenate. Students become aware of their thoughts and feelings, both positive and negative. It is important to assure them that all feelings and emotions are welcome. Only then will they be able to appreciate and accept themselves and others.
• Humility and Openness: Teachers need to be open, humble, and willing to listen and learn from students. Students who feel heard, validated and accepted for who they are, grow up to be confident, self-assured, and empathetic people.

As they say, teaching is a work of heart! A good teacher will help children understand that no matter what, being aware and empathetic towards oneself and others is the only way forward. A good leader not only leads with rules and regulations, but also with kindness. Perhaps, that is why people say, ‘Catch them young.’ However, what I like to believe is, “It is never too early to help children learn about empathy, and if you think about it, it is never too late either!”

       By Chaitra Kulkarni

Yemen- The world’s worst Humanitarian Crisis

Growing up, my mom would always tell me that I shouldn’t waste food,
that there were so many other people with an astronomical lust for just
one proper, fulfilling meal. I’d smirk and brush off her comments as
though they meant nothing. Today, I understand the egregious fault of
my ways.

As I write this, Yemen is on the brink of famine. In the country, the
current level of hunger is unprecedented as it continues to prove a heavy
hardship, despite receiving ongoing humanitarian assistance.
Over one-quarter of the 30 million population has been classified as
malnourished. Over 3 million women and children are prominently
malnutritioned and food insecure. Yemen is extremely fragile and any
disruption in the pipeline of critical supplies such as food, fuel and
medicines has the potential to bring millions of people closer to starvation and death.

Can you imagine waking up everyday hoping you would get at least a
single piece of bread to sustain you? Living in a state of constant distress
where you are so horrifically in need – need, not want of food that it is the
sole influence that controls your existence?

The global pandemic – Coronavirus – has affected us all. Schools and
offices have shifted online, theatres, malls and restaurants have been
shut down, social distancing has been implemented and we just simply
don’t leave our homes without wearing a mask. This is our new normal.

But while we face minor disruptions, Yemen is undergoing a worsened
contour of what was already the hub of the largest humanitarian crisis.
With 3.6 million internally displaced people, the nation’s medical facilities
have been left in tatters, on top of which a cholera outbreak has sickened
some 2.3 million Yemenis, killing nearly 4000.

When Abdulla Bin Ghooth saw the computed tomography scan of the
lungs of a colleague’s brother, he knew the outlook was grim. Despite
complaints of a fever and shortness of breath; hospital staff, afraid of the
novel coronavirus, sent him home with an oxygen cylinder. He pleaded for
aid, but to no avail. The man was never tested and died at home 3 days
later.

“Perhaps no country is more vulnerable to COVID-19’s depredations than
Yemen. Even before the virus’ arrival, the country was grappling with the
largest humanitarian crisis in the world as a result of a civil war now
grinding into its sixth year” says Jens Laerke, a spokesperson at the UN.
This virus could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

To further make this situation worse, the UN is running out of cash
donations from member countries as they battle COVID-19 on their own
turf. WFP is facing a significant funding shortfall, they urgently need US$
878 million to ensure uninterrupted food assistance for the next six
months (June 2020 to December 2020).

“A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors
including war, inflation, crop failure, population imbalance, or government
policies,” the boy read out to his class. “Good, we’ll continue with
draughts next class,” the teacher announced. The entire room, oblivious
of it’s true sentiment, dispersed for lunch hurriedly as the bell rang.
Complaining about memorising this for his exam, the boy laughed with his
friends as they sat collectively around the lunch table, trading their food.

Simultaneously, one of 360,000 kids that didn’t receive the treatment she
needed to battle acute malnutrition was gone. Just as unfairly as she was
introduced to the world, her only memories of which were- the globe
being an ocean with a constant circumlocuting tide of overwhelming
hunger, fear and inequality. Her family mourned, but continued to starve
themselves. Their indignance dissipated to desperation.

However, the state in Yemen has not yet been declared a famine, but
make no mistake, the living standards of the citizens are subjected to
exactly that of an alarming crisis. “If we wait for famine to be declared, it
will already be too late as people will already be dying”, a statement by
humanitarian aid read.

16 million people are in need of basic healthcare and/or do not have
access to safe drinking water. Two in three Yemenis, regularly don’t know
where their next meal is coming from. Every three in four Yemenis, need
help. Half of which are children. “Yemen is one of the worst places to be a
child” the UN said.

Imagine laying eyes on your child, caressing the bones that so
significantly stand out on her chest, having to make sure that you don’t
accidentally so much as touch the tube through which your daughter is
being fed, because god forbid that her source of sustenance was
somehow disrupted; while you, yourself suffer some sort of
malnourishment, as the rest of your family does. Despite not having
enough energy to walk, hopelessly yearning for a job just so you could
provide for your baby girl who has now overcome malnourishment, only
to contract tuberculosis. Imagine having to sell all earthly possessions for
a spoonful of rice. You can’t envision that? Well, that’s exactly what
Rahmah, 6-year old Alaa’s mother goes through everyday.

It is easy to sit at our home and hurt over matters such as these. It is
easy to pray for them, considering the privilege we have been bestowed.
All the while, we continue to cavil over trifling inconveniences. It is not a
social trend to post about their truly precarious lifestyle. It is unnerving to
turn oblivious to such a catastrophe as you notice other people have
stopped talking about it. It is not ‘noble’ or ‘considerate’ to bring this up
in a conversation, but to take no action.

We are blessed, it is time we recognise that and it is definitely time that
we invest our synergy into mitigating our blessings so that we can make
others capable of persisting, exploring and breaking the cycle of making
unjust memories of iniquity. They should have the ability to start a new
chapter. Their capacity to anticipate and write their own and ‘he/she lived
happily ever after’, should be just as much a latitude, as ours is.

Actions speak louder than words. Make your actions count !

By Manya Dubey