What is empathy?

Empathy is the ability for us to understand and appreciate the dreams and disappointments, the hopes and fears of the person next to us. In the context of a multi-cultural, multi-religious society, empathy can be expanded to be the ability for each community to understand and appreciate the hopes and fears of another community. When we put ourselves in the shoes of another person and imagine how he or she feels before we react, the way we relate to one another changes.

Let us talk about some examples.

• If you have an event and you’ve invited Hindus, empathize with them… you can imagine what it feels like to be given something that offends your traditions, so be sensitive and don’t serve beef.
• If you know what it feels like to be in a group of people and left out because they are speaking among themselves in a language you don’t understand… then be sensitive, use a common language so that all can be included in the conversation.

Why Empathy?

To have 1Malaysia, we need empathy. Because much of it is based on common goals and shared values, empathy builds trust and paves the way towards justice. It is a vital ingredient for harmony in a multi-ethnic society. It is an important means for us to achieve our quest for 1Malaysia.

When to practice empathy?

Start now, and practice it at all times. Empathy must be the framework, the basis that we are constantly conscious of when we relate to people. It has to be made a habit, a lifestyle. We need to make a distinct decision to be more sensitive to the needs of the people we deal with at all times. While many plans involve complex debates and different stages of execution, it is not intellectual debates that bring us unity… it is action. It is the things that you can start doing today.

Who should do it?

You. It has to start from yourself. Do not ask what others can do, but ask what you can do. Whether you are a businessman, a civil servant, a writer or an executive, practice empathy where you are everyday.

How to practice empathy?

Do what is within your capabilities and capacities. Think big, but act small. Empathy for 1Malaysia starts with a foundation – each Malaysian, doing what they can do, from where they are, every day. When enough individuals practice it, consistently for long enough, empathy will become our way of life, our culture.

To establish empathy as a means for us to achieve 1Malaysia, there are several points we can reflect upon together.

1. What can you do, in your specific work and role in society, to practice and promote empathy as a way to 1Malaysia?
2. What are the changes necessary, in structures or in attitudes, for us to cancel out negative inter-ethnic and inter-religious sentiments and strengthen empathy in Malaysian society?
3. How will these changes bring us closer to our goal of 1Malaysia?