Bare Feet!

01 Oct 2012; A defining moment in my life when I realized the depth and meaning of the word ‘Empathy’.

I was on a pilgrimage where I walked barefooted for about fourteen kilometers and it was this journey which opened my eyes to the deeper meaning of ‘Empathy’. I believe that it was ‘Divine Grace’ which channelized my thoughts in that direction.

While walking barefooted on sand, pebbles, stones and rough surface, the soul of my feet started aching and every small pebble or stone seemed to pierce through it. Though the pain was excruciating, it was overcome by the faith in the supreme and I kept going.

As I walked along, my mind wandered in to a different world. A world where we see a number of people who cannot afford footwear going through their lives barefooted and unnoticed by those who are more fortunate to possess footwear. It is only when a pebble or stone pierced through the soul of my feet did I realize what those people must be going through day in and day out. The sympathy which I used to feel for them before changed in to ‘Empathy’.

“I can feel your pain now” I cried out silently. From then on, I started thinking of various ways to put self in to the shoes of others and the more I thought, the more it said “Empathy is not only putting oneself into others’ shoes but also to know where it pinches and feel it too.”   

It was a great lesson! Life teaches many a lesson very silently, discreetly and expects its students to rise to the occasion and receive its teachings.

 I thank the divine grace for blessing me with this great lesson and hope to walk the path traversed by others to connect and contribute.