Empathy Above All

And with a final fanfare this evening, the flame will be extinguished, and another Olympic adventure will come to an end.  I’ll admit it – I’m captivated by the pageantry, pride, thrill of victory, and yes, agony of defeat of the games.  My heart skipped a beat on several occasions when competitors had unfortunate falls.  Teammates and rivals, for a brief moment, forgot about allegiances or winning and losing, and instinctively offered support out of genuine concern and human kindness. 

Empathy above all – that’s the lesson I’ll take away from the games.  I can’t speak for others, but I know sometimes I get so focused on my own agenda, I fail to take into consideration the perspective of others.  I see others as competitors rather than teammates, and accordingly, forget how my words and actions do more to divide than unite us.  I unintentionally fan the flames when I could and should be working to extinguish them. 

Try to remember this week that in some way your family, colleagues, students, parents, friends and strangers are on the same team.  For the more we are able to approach every situation with greater empathy and understanding, the easier it will be to work through our inevitable differences in a healthy manner.  Tensions are high – in schools, in homes, and in the nation.  So, when faced with conflict, take a deep breath and look for shared perspective.