Empathy: The Human Connection

I first watched this video shortly after it was released and have come back to it periodically over the last 11 years. It has served as a reminder to “be kind, for everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” While the original source of this quote is unknown (it has been attributed to both Plato and Robin Williams, among others), it speaks to the importance and power of empathy shown in this video. Empathy is essential to all healthcare practice, but especially nursing. We often meet people during the most intimate and challenging moments of their lives. Acting with empathy, kindness and understanding allows us to connect with our patients, our colleagues, and ourselves. As I proposed in my nursing ontology post, when we act with empathy, we can ultimately come together to make each person with whom we interact with a little better and their lives brighter.

This video has also prompted me to assume positive intent in others – both in my professional and personal life. Brené Brown describes the assumption of positive intent as “I want to assume the most generous thing I can about your thoughts, about your actions and your words and your behaviours” (2022). As the Cleveland Clinic video above shows, many things influence the way each of us shows up in the world. For me, the assumption of positive intent means, in general, people are doing the best they can with the tools they have in the moment. By making an effort to approach situations with this frame of mind, I am able to treat myself and others with empathy. Taking this approach also allows me to continue to care for others from a place of compassion and non-judgement.

References

Brown, B. (Host). (2022, December 28). Brené and Ashley on Living BIG, Part 1 of 2. [Audio podcast episode]. In Unlocking Us with Brené Brown. Parcast Network. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/living-big-part-1-of-2/

Cleveland Clinic. (2013, February 27). Empathy: The human connection to patient care [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDDWvj_q-o8