This is my first attempt to write in English although writing in Armenian has become the most important and effective way of my self realization. It’s a part of my inner happiness and calmness. So today’s essay is one of my rare English ones and it has a reason.

I wanted to write about “empathy” and “love”. I couldn’t find an appropriate translation for this word which  explains the real meaning of “empathy”.

Firstly I learned the meaning of this word during a specific training on Philosophy. I thought it is the ability of the smartest and strongest people. I was right…It’s not easy…

In classical explanation “empathy” is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. Empathy is your ability to place yourself in other’s position and trying to feel other’s feelings in other’s frame. You have to be empathetic if there is a relationship which is important for you. Unless you put yourself in other’s position and try to understand other’s feelings, thoughts and behavior you can’t manage or change anything in your life and in the world. Empathy should be in place in any kind of relationship: at work, everyday activities, diplomatic negotiations, price bargaining and what is the most important thing: in love.

Love is the greatest feeling and healthiest driving force in the world. I do believe that any kind of positive change is driven by love.

Nobody has been brave enough so far to define or explain what is love. For me it’s a greatest feeling which makes my heart to beat faster, my mind to stay kind and clear, and it moves me to make positive changes in the world. Love is my driving force… Love needs no exact definition however it needs big efforts and deep understanding. And, definitely, without empathy love is killed. I don’t want to realize how many loves are killed because of absence of empathy, how many people lose their happiness because of egoism and arrogance, how many positive changes will never happen… The reason of all these is that we don’t want to put ourselves in the position of another person and just feel how this person can feel in his/her frame. It’s possible, it’s the ability of human beings both to feel and to think which should be put in place.

Empathy requires only closing eyes for a moment, forgetting about egocentric “I want-s”, putting yourself in other person’s frame and trying to feel like the other person… And if you understand him/her, if you feel that you will behave like he/she if you don’t blame him/her anymore then you will make the world a better place to live…

And as Love is my driving force so, please, try to be empathetic at least to your loved ones. They will be so grateful for it and will return you more Love 🙂

And as it was told in one of my favorite Armenian songs “don’t kill your love, you will not have the second one…”