Empathy: Greater than Bravery
The writer, Zamena Manekia-Manji (Bujumbura, Burundi) is a writer for TMJ News. Born and raised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and currently residing in Bujumbura, Burundi, her writing has evolved from fiction to Islamic, contemporary, and historical writings. She works in the history and Islamic events department at TMJ News, where she previously worked as a breaking News writer. Zamena is also a writer for 313juniors, a YouTube channel that works to produce Islamic content for little children, trying to improve her writing with each task. Through her words, she hopes to shed some light on Islamic History and share her thoughts on contemporary views through an Islamic lens, slowly doing her part towards building a better and stronger society.
Empathy
H
ave we ever wondered at the power the mere word “empathy,” holds? It can bridge communications, resolve conflicts, and even assist a person reach closer to God. Sadly, this trait is hugely lacking in our communities.
The dictionary meaning of the word empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It’s easier said than done. but it needs to be adopted and practised. If someone was rude to us at work, instead of wondering if they were having a bad day, we retaliate. If someone is extra sensitive, we make a mockery of their feelings without realizing they were raised in neglect. If a woman is constantly edgy and stressed around her family members, we blame her for being careless, without pondering over what is triggering her behaviour. All it takes is to lend an ear and understand one another rather than jumping to conclusions, reacting and causing a huge rift.
Sometimes, we tend to ignore the roadside beggars who are already humiliating themselves by begging, immediately avoiding the guilt trip from helping them by wondering why they are begging when they have the to work. Granted, in the wake of cults that use the poor as employees to fill their pockets and give them money will further spoil them but ignoring them or shunning them away further crushes their spirit. This is where empathy comes into play. With several countries on rules against giving alms to roadside beggars, we could either politely refuse or flash a smile at them while buying a piece of bread or fruits from a fruit vendor to help them. Sometimes, we can even politely ask what compelled them to beg and if we can, we could help them. A little goodness goes a long, long way.
Another prime example would be how most of us wince and quickly scroll away when we come across the horrendous reel of a Palestinian mother shouting in agony over the killing of her baby, not wanting to dwell in the heart-wrenching reality of the World we live in. sometimes, we will tell the other person off for showing such graphic images of babies burnt to death, shunning ourselves off the images the Palestinians are forced to share to awaken the empathy buried deep into our hearts. I know we are trying to avoid the feeling of helplessness by shying away from the atrocious images, but if the Palestinians are documenting such harrowing images of their loved ones, then the least we can do is watch them and share them to expose the crimes of Israel and the US to the world, alongside praying for them and doing what we can in our power to bring an end to the genocide against the Palestinians.
It is hard. Especially when we are fighting our own battles but this is how we will attain closeness to the Lord. We need to remind ourselves that we are the followers of the great Ali bin Abu Talib, who when struck with a poisoned sword while he was in Sujood, asked if his killer was given water, with the poet saying, “If loving a God makes Ali so humble, then I want the God of Ali.”
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