Dear Editor,
Empathy is a fundamental human ability that enables us to understand and share others' feelings. Empathy is about recognizing what someone else is experiencing and, therein, experiencing a similar emotional response. Distinctions are often made between cognitive empathy - the capacity to understand another person’s perspective - and emotional empathy - the ability to actually feel what the other person is feeling, the sharing of feelings on a visceral level.
Emoting, the expression of emotions as a byproduct of emotional empathy, tends to increase as one ages. As we grow older and perceive our future as more limited, we tend to draw on our growing life experiences while focusing more on the present and our most emotionally meaningful relationships. Older adults tend to become more emotionally congruent when responding to others' feelings.
That means that with aging, our outward behavior more consistently reflects our internal emotions, so that what we feel and how we act appear more authentic and complementary.
If I’m correct in recognizing that, with the passage of years, we become more inclined to appreciate the blessings of friendship and family. It seems fitting that we acknowledge these blessings with prayerful gratitude. We should strive to cultivate a daily intention of giving thanks to God for the good things found in our everyday lives, especially for the gifts of family and friends. With them, we most naturally share our feelings, and in doing so, we value and express appreciation for their worth, which, in turn, strengthens those relationships.
Might we recognize each day the value of participating in a renewal of gratitude, an acknowledgement of His guidance through the life experiences that have allowed us to nurture more profound compassion, greater concern, and genuine caring - qualities that lie at the very heart of our humanity.
When we feel and express such gratitude, we tend to become more generous and more forgiving toward others - a positive cycle of kindness and support from which the world can surely benefit.
Peter Wibell, Rutledge