Tag: empathy

Breaking the Mirror

Posted on by andrew

Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Jihu Lee examines the fine line between empathy and codependency.

 

What does empathy mean to you? Some of us may give more to others than we do for ourselves. Others may be there to listen while a friend vents. Whatever you do to exercise empathy, we may have a basic definition in mind of what that means, perhaps something like “putting oneself in another’s shoes to understand their perspective.” But, while we may think we know what empathy is and is not, I have noticed over time that we may engage in behaviors that are deceivingly ’empathetic’ and actually harmful. Does empathy have boundaries beyond which it is no longer considered as such? 

 

The idea of being empathetic with boundaries intact may sound paradoxical. After all, isn’t the point of empathy to touch others’ lives with open arms? To a significant extent, this is certainly the case. Roman Krznaric, Ph.D, author of the article “Six Habits of Highly Empathetic People,” acknowledges that part of empathy means expanding the boundaries of “our moral universe.” But Krznaric adds that empathetic people not only strive to uplift others around them, but to improve their own lives as well. These are the six habits of empathetic people, as Krznaric describes them: 

 

  1. Cultivate curiosity about strangers. 
  2. Challenge prejudices and discover commonalities. 
  3. Try another person’s life. 
  4. Listen hard and open up. 
  5. Inspire mass action and social change. 
  6. Develop ambitious imagination. 

 

I personally find these observations eye-opening because they lead to a conversation about how empathetic people with boundaries can touch others profoundly. Let’s frame our discussion by looking at what empathy without boundaries is like. 

 

Do you find yourself striving to make someone else’s life better while depriving yourself of your own needs? Do you hesitate to stand up for yourself by holding another person accountable for their actions out of fear that you might upset them? Repeated occurrences of such subservient behavior are no longer characteristic of empathy, but rather, codependency. 

 

Codependency, at its core, is neglecting one’s own well-being to meet others’ needs or to gain approval. This behavior can often start in childhood, where children may feel they deserve love only if they make their parents happy and carry this idea into adulthood. Codependent people often program themselves to be hypervigilant to their parents’, friends’ or partners’ emotions for external validation. But by constantly seeking outside approval to fill the emptiness inside, we lose our sense of self and identity; we become so fixated on the emotions of those around us that we fail to regulate our own. For instance, if you ever find yourself giving unsolicited advice in an effort to “fix” another, it may indicate hypervigilance and the desire for control over an emotional state that is not your own. 

 

Similarly, I believe holding back from encouraging others to outgrow maladaptive coping mechanisms is a sign of wanting to please the other person – an effort to preserve a relationship that survives on our compliance rather than our ability to stand up for ourselves. We lose our sense of self in mirroring someone else. For instance, imagine you have a significant other with unhealthy coping mechanisms to escape the burden of their heavy realities. Rather than encouraging them to seek help, you allow your partner to continue their unhealthy behavioral patterns out of fear that you might lose them if you stood up to them. 

 

How does this relate to empathetic people and their habits? Let’s recall Krznaric’s words, that we strive to better our own lives when expanding our moral universe to others. Essentially, empathetic people excel at reaching out without overextending and balancing care for others with care for themselves.

 

What we can take away from this idea is that we serve others better – with more understanding and validation – if we are good to ourselves and in tune with our own emotions. 

 

All six habits of empathetic people have a common thread connecting them: the ability to support authenticity while striving to understand and uplift others. It takes authenticity to inspire others and create change, because then people look up to you and not a mirror of themselves. We need to be grounded in our own identity to cultivate a vibrant imagination that uniquely captures us. When others are in emotional distress, we need to hold space and be a listener without desiring to fix them. In a similar manner, we cannot lose ourselves when trying another person’s life or reaching out to a stranger. Before standing up for what’s right, we need to hold onto our sense of self that guides our moral compass.

 

It certainly isn’t an easy overnight transformation from codependency to empathy. But emotional awareness of codependency alone is a strong step towards change. As a community, I encourage us to remind one another that our own minds and bodies matter. Practice setting boundaries to bring yourself peace, rather than disregarding boundaries and undermining your own well-being in an attempt to keep the peace. Wanting to help others is undoubtedly a strength of one’s character, but helping yourself will synergistically uplift both sides. 

 

Sources: 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/intimacy-path-toward-spirituality/201711/are-you-codependent-or-just-caring-person

https://highlysensitiverefuge.com/the-link-between-high-sensitivity-empathy-and-codependency/

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/difference-between-empathy-and-codependent-behavior-for-hsps

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_habits_of_highly_empathic_people1

 

Celebrate your identity with the Low Entropy community by sharing what makes you uniquely you at our community site or on any of our social media platforms – we can’t wait to hear your voice!

There’s Something About Empathy

Posted on by andrew

How do sympathy, compassion and empathy compare? Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Christie Gan gives us a primer on these essential interpersonal concepts.

 

Sympathy is the ability to feel pity and sorrow for someone else’s troubles. Meanwhile, compassion is the ability to feel sympathy for someone to a point where you want to help them. On the other hand, empathy is the ability to understand and experience someone else’s feelings.

 

So logically, if you feel sympathy for someone, and then you feel compassionate enough to help them, shouldn’t that solve their problems? Why would you even need to show empathy to them?

 

Well, sympathy shows an awareness of someone else’s troubles, while compassion shows a willingness to help that person with their troubles on top of an awareness of them. However, empathy isn’t about feeling sorry for someone. Empathy is about sharing and validating someone’s feelings and thinking of solutions based on a deep understanding of what it’s like to be in their shoes. This, in turn, provides them a deeper understanding of themselves and motivates them to take their own action in relieving their misfortunes. 

 

Based on my own experiences, I’ve ranked sympathy, compassion and empathy on a scale of helpfulness from level 1 (least helpful) to level 3 (most helpful):

 

Level 1: Sympathy

 

A few months ago, I was set to fly back to Vancouver to finish my final semester of university. I’d shown my negative COVID-19 test results to an attendant at check-in and boarded a flight to Tokyo. I would have been able to board my transfer flight to Vancouver, if not for them deeming my COVID-19 test invalid from being done a few hours earlier than Tokyo’s new cut-off time. I had no choice but to take a flight back home, where I would have to be quarantined in a hotel for 21 days. 

 

While I was in despair about putting up with long-distance learning for even longer than I already had and paying out of pocket for the hotel, a flight attendant in Tokyo asked me what I intended to fly to Vancouver for. I’d told her it was to study, and with a pitiful expression, she replied: 

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

I’m sure she hadn’t meant to make me feel worse, but those two words amplified the severity of the situation and made me shift all the blame onto myself. Thinking back to this always reminds me that telling someone I’m sorry they’re going through something won’t necessarily make them feel better—something I’m glad I’ve gained from the experience.

 

Level 2: Compassion

 

Given that I was a student traveling on my own with a ludicrous amount of luggage, the airline in my hometown felt so sorry for me that they decided to help me. To my immense relief, they booked me a new COVID-19 test and put me on their next available direct flight to Vancouver for free. I definitely hadn’t felt completely heard and understood—especially not when I was even mistaken to not be a resident of my own hometown! Nonetheless, I was certainly grateful that they got me to where I needed to be. At the very least, they showed that they did genuinely care that I was affected by taking exceptional action to help me.

 

Level 3: Empathy

 

Last year, a dear friend of mine was seriously struggling with her studies. She was completely burned out in her medicine program. Even picking up a pen proved difficult to her, and she’d lost her appetite completely. Her motivation and mental health were at rock bottom.

 

I’d listened to her telling me, “I just feel so lost. I don’t know why doing even the simplest things is so hard these days. Am I making my problems up in my head? What if I’m just being lazy?” In return, I’d said, “It makes sense that things are difficult right now. You’re taking a very stressful program; you’ve told me about having to memorize six entire textbooks’ worth of content for an exam for a single subject, which is no easy feat. I know you’ve been trying your best and working super hard, and it’s normal to need a break. You’re only human.” 

 

I’d suggested a counselling session, she’d booked an appointment, and I’d offered to accompany her. During the session, I patted her shoulder as she cried, took notes, then reorganized these notes on a digital document that I sent to her afterwards. Afterwards, she sent me a text:

 

Thank you so much. I feel a lot better now. I’m going to sit down and figure out what’s best for me, like you and the counsellor said to.

 

It made my day to know that I not only made her feel better, but proposed a solution that inspired her to take action for herself. Ultimately, empathy goes a long way because it doesn’t only make whoever you show it to feel heard—it empowers them too. Yes, it’s useful to sympathize and even better to show compassion, but empathy involves taking compassion to the next level. Mastering empathy and maintaining my ability to be good at it are goals that I never let out of mind or sight, because I believe empathy is the key to reducing entropy—a state of disorder, as we say—in society. 

Empathy is certainly helpful, but it can be emotionally taxing as well. How do you balance sympathy, compassion and empathy? Let us know in the comments below, or start up a discussion on our community site!

Empathy: The Essentials of Emotional Engagement

Posted on by andrew

Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Grace Cheng offers a primer on empathy – what it is, why it’s important and how to cultivate it.

 

To me, empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what others are feeling, seeing things from their points of view and putting yourself in their situations. Empathy is one of the building blocks of a healthy relationship. Like other life skills, empathy can be learned and developed. Having the ability to be more empathetic can benefit our lives in many areas. We are able to connect with and understand our spouses, friends, families, coworkers and even strangers at a much higher level when we master how to be more empathetic.

 

Empathy is a powerful tool that helps maintain social order and cooperation. It allows people to understand and relate to others. Empathy can be used to build intimacy, trust and belonging with people. It is also the feeling that makes it hard to see others suffer.

 

Empathy often encourages self-sacrificing behaviors, and empathy-based kindness has been shown to increase cooperation and forgiveness, form stronger relationships, decrease aggression and judgment, and improve our mental and physical health.

 

You can tell if someone is an empathetic person by observing the following behaviours:

 

  • They are good at listening to what others are saying.
  • People are sharing their problems and expressing their feelings with them.
  • They are good at understanding how other people are feeling.
  • They often think about how other people feel.
  • Other people go to them to seek advice.
  • They often feel overwhelmed by tragic news and events.
  • They offer to help others when they are suffering.
  • They deeply care about others.

 

Here are some tips to become more empathetic:

 

1. Make listening to a top priority

 

Listening is particularly important because most of us speak much more than we listen. Empathy starts when you intentionally listen for emotions, so try to pay close attention to the signals people are giving out, because they can indicate what people are feeling. Before you connect with what others are feeling, you must recognize their emotional expressions. Active listening can strengthen your understanding in being more empathetic.

 

The following are steps to becoming a better listener: 

 

  1. Give your undivided attention to conversations: This means not using smartphones, tablets, or laptops when people are speaking. It means actively listening to what they have to say and making eye contact with them. 
  2. Let the other person speak: This means giving them time to finish what they have to say and not interrupting their conversations.
  3. Summarize your understanding back to the other person: Once the other person has finished talking, summarize your understanding back to them and verify whether you understood what they were trying to say.
  4. Ask the other person some insightful and relevant questions: Use your curiosity and ask nonjudgmental questions to better understand their perspectives, thoughts and feelings.
  5. Allow the other person to express their emotions: Let them talk from their heart and share exactly how they feel. This can often give them insights and help them discover their own solutions. 

 

2. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes

 

It is quite easy for all of us to comment on and judge others. Some of us have undoubtedly accused others of overreacting, or told someone, “I don’t understand why you are so upset.” However, if you put yourself in their shoes then maybe you would be able to understand their pain and suffering. Once you do that, you can start to experience the emotions that they are going through and understand things from their point of view.  This would allow you to better connect with them.

 

3. Express your care and concern to others

 

When people tell you their problems, chances are that they do not feel well and want your emotional support. This is the time to show your care and concern for them by asking, “How are you feeling?” or “Is there anything I can do for you?” If you know each other well, you can offer to talk to them on the phone or meet up with them, which can make a tremendous difference. If you are both comfortable with it, you can give them a big hug to show that you care.

 

4. Acknowledge the other person’s feelings

 

One of the biggest issues in communication is that most people do not acknowledge the other person’s feelings. Acknowledging is a way to communicate that you understand how the other person is feeling. You can acknowledge their feelings by simply saying, “I am so sorry to hear that,” or “I can hear your pain.”

 

5. Make yourself vulnerable to others

 

When you allow yourself to be vulnerable to others by getting into the other person’s emotions, it can enrich your relationships and form deeper connections. When you share your experiences of emotions such as anger, anxiety, shame and sadness, you can open opportunities for others to empathize with you.

 

Being vulnerable can build up your empathy by allowing you to feel the value of empathy through reflection. This can increase your commitment to being more empathetic to others. You can gain more confidence and comfort in navigating hard emotions during conversations with others.

 

6. Take action and offer your help to others

 

Having empathy involves adopting the emotions of others, but not their external  situations. Knowing what the other person is going through can help you better identify their needs. If you are able to do so, offering to help others can make a big difference. This puts empathy into action and helps to maximize well-being.

 

7. Show your emotional support to others

 

Most importantly, for empathy to be effective, you need to show emotional support to people. This means giving them your trust and affirmation, as well as encouraging them. You should let them know that, no matter what happens, you will always support them. Sometimes what people are looking for are not your solutions, but your empathy and support.

 

Our world can certainly benefit from having more empathy for others. By learning how to become more empathetic, you can make a difference by creating peace and harmony in our world. So the next time you see someone having a hard time, make sure you listen and share, and identify what you can do to help them.

 

Was there a time when someone else’s empathy helped you? Tell us your stories in the comments below, or in person at a Conscious Connections meeting!

Without Villains

Posted on by andrew

It’s natural to conclude that some people are bad based on negative behaviour. Low Entropy Volunteer Writer Hayley Chan, however, asks us to think more deeply about the world, toward an appreciation of the contextual complexities that humanize us.

 

My mom was telling me about a conflict she was having with one of her friends.

 

She was upset because this friend – let’s call her Emily – basically accused my mom of excluding and using her.

 

What was most upsetting for her was that Emily didn’t use much introspection when coming to this conclusion.

 

One misunderstanding completely painted my mom as a bad friend in Emily’s eyes. In this scenario, it could be said that Emily was a bad person because she didn’t see things from my mom’s point of view, and didn’t try to do so before sending a vindictive email.

 

But with a little bit of empathy, my mom was able to understand why Emily was acting like this. She took the time to see things from Emily’s point of view – to understand that she knows this person has trust issues and is easily insecure in her relationships. This was possibly because of her distant relationship with her mother, who was cold and unkind.

 

Maybe those insights were just guesses and are not correlated to Emily’s behaviour. But what counts is the effort made to understand; My mom had empathy for someone who characterized her as a bad friend and person – something she is not – even though she wasn’t given the same courtesy.

 

As explained in attribution theory, when someone does something wrong, it’s easy for others to attribute those actions strictly to the person they are. On the flip side, when we do something wrong, it’s easy for us to attribute it to external circumstances.

 

The saying “Treat others how you’d want to be treated” is relevant here in terms of questioning whether empathy is the key to ending the good guys vs bad guys mentality, and I believe it is – especially in a society where “cancel culture” is a habitual response. When people make insensitive comments, whether they be racially insensitive, emotionally insensitive, etc. their entire character is not just questioned, but assumed to be entirely immoral. People often rush to these conclusions and then boom – you’re banished from the good graces of Instagram.

 

And ironically, one of the things a lot of people try to promote on social media is self-love, forgiveness and growth. Although these messages are often supportive and positive, when someone does something “wrong,” these same people preaching positivity and growth aren’t giving the same encouragement to those ousted by society for making a not-so-conscientious comment.

 

Maybe if we refocus our energy on trying to understand others and where they’re coming from, we’ll be able to see the words and actions of others more clearly, rather than deeming them strictly good or bad.

 

It seems like it would just be easier to be more understanding to ourselves and others. However, I can understand why most people talk the talk about empathy and kindness without following through. Empathy is not always easy. Taking the time to understand others is probably the hardest part of taking an empathetic response to a problematic situation. It’s so easy to see things through your own perspective because it’s a daily habit. For example, if your friend is talking to you about their partner who is not a great verbal communicator, and you have just come out of a bad relationship with someone who lied to you constantly, are you likely to first acknowledge the fact that their partner is probably busy with school or work and shows affection with quality time? Or is the first thought that comes to mind more likely to resonate with the fact that most people cannot be trusted and if they seem like liars from one observation, they probably are? 

 

How often do we first see things from a different perspective than our own?

 

Some people may be more naturally empathetic than others, but it is not necessarily a subconscious decision to think critically about the behaviours of others. Like any good habit, you must put in the work to ingrain it into your mental library of routines. And with practice, it gets easier to instinctively pull that habit from the shelf.

 

I think empathy can end the good guys vs bad guys mentality, but empathy, putting yourself in someone’s shoes, is not always a natural instinct, and that’s okay. It doesn’t make you a bad person. It doesn’t make Emily, my mom’s friend, a bad person for not being able to practice empathy in the scenario I described. And it doesn’t make people on social media bad people for preaching more about forgiveness and growth than walking the walk. Practising empathy is a skill, and when learned and executed, can help us differentiate between a bad action and a bad person.

Can you recall a time when you were able to understand someone who hurt you? Tell us your story in the comments below or join our live discussions in a Conscious Connections meeting!

Epic Empathy

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Critical hits, rolling for initiative, blundering botches and total party kills . . . it’s all super fun, nerdy stuff. But empathy? In Dungeons & Dragons? Low Entropy Volunteer Writer James Phan explains how connecting with others’ emotions is actually one of the keys to a truly epic campaign.

 

As you’re drawn into a story, raw feelings are no coincidence. Emotions are the stuff that connects us to the world and makes for powerful storytelling. To demonstrate this, we could break down emotional story elements in a novel, but here’s a plot twist: we’re rolling for dungeons and dragons.

 

If we are to explore the power of empathy in storytelling, Dungeons & Dragons (or “DnD,” for short) is a surprisingly authentic platform to learn about the subject. Even though books have long been the standard medium of storytelling, and while DnD is a much younger, niche medium, the game shares with books many elements involving immersive story experiences.

 

Getting Familiar with The Game

 

Rowan Yates from Victoria, BC, an expert host for DnD with 15 years of experience, helped me understand the basics of the game. Briefly speaking, the heavily imaginative game usually involves three to seven players who play as a team of characters and one dungeon master (or “DM”), the assigned creator of a given fantasy world with a unique nature that governs it. The DM facilitates the story’s progression. Win conditions vary and are decided by the DMs, but “winning” is extremely subjective. For Rowan, who works at the Victoria Disability Resource Centre, partners with AIDS Vancouver Island to co-facilitate Queerabilities Victoria and spends his free time as a fierce warrior who whets his battle spirit in a modern medieval fighting sport known as buhurt, a DnD win isn’t as much about the results as it is about the players having fun. It could be about battling a dragon, finding treasure or yammering at a tavern for three hours.

 

Onwards! A Unique Storyteller

 

What’s unique about the narrative gameplay of DnD is its candidness as the story unfolds. Events evoke emotional responses almost immediately. A player may sense her character’s life threatened, and her response will shape the next event. At times, the story can have messy moments, like behind-the-scenes footage in movies, due to the game’s nature to incentivize player creativity. Players can fall out of character and revise their talents, or the DM might commit a story blooper and improvise a narrative on that. A novel can tell the same story across the general public, but DnD personalizes its story only to the handful of players, with the story material dependent on the unique personalities in the team. Unlike books, the game seals no fate; the story is fluid and ever-changing. 

 

Onwards! A Sense of Community

 

Once in the game, DnD is storytelling from the heart, with empathy at its core. The setting is revealed, and the conflict is foretold. Danger is afoot. How will the heroes proceed? An introduction haunted by uncertainty and inevitability is a construct in many fictional works. In a book, readers at this discovery stage may or may not begin to empathize with the protagonist, but in DnD’s narrative, the audience members are also the main characters, immersed in a shared, empathetic experience. 

 

As cooperative storytelling, players shape the nature of their teamwork against imminent threats. There’s a sense of shared responsibility, shared excitement for risk and reward, and a common feeling of novelty. Through the forming of a shared DnD story, group members develop empathy with each other. In the real world, a companionate work culture promotes empathy, which improves teamwork and business proficiency. A good DnD story, similarly, improves teamwork that, in turn, feeds back into the story.

Onwards! Individual Revelations

 

In a novel, readers may or may not become more accepting of flaws in a protagonist, while in DnD, acceptance of imperfection is strongly encouraged among the players. Teammates must accept the characteristics of their own alter ego (characters have qualities that are not in their player’s control), but also of the behaviour, temperaments and other nuances of their team members. In a way, this is similar to empathic training, where subjects are encouraged to participate in activities outside of their identity, such as acting or reading fiction. Being in the shoes of others can expand one’s perception, emotionally and intellectually.

 

A player’s chosen character can also reflect suppressed thoughts or personality. By being another identity, the individual has the opportunity to explore unknown desires and values. Throughout the game, the player can become more comfortable with their character development, which can progress to self-empathy. DnD provides a safe platform for this kind of experiential discovery, which can be limited or inaccessible outside of its realm.

 

Aaand Onwards! Narrative Leadership

 

Rowan and other DMs rely on empathy to facilitate their games. They heed their players’ emotional and physical cues to decide what happens next, including when and how to introduce story material to keep everyone engaged. Even before the story begins, a good DM should have a keen idea of who the players are in order to understand what mechanics, themes and play style might work for the group. In 2009, Google wanted to improve managerial performance in research called Project Oxygen. The research team found that the best managers were those who spent time with their team, giving one-on-one attention, providing goal clarity and caring about individual desires and values. Great DMs are like these effective managers, attentive to the players so that the narrative resonates with personalized meaning.

 

Halt! The Conclusion

 

Think of DnD like an open book for a party to colour into, while everyone flips the pages together. If someone has a funny moment, everyone is sharing laughter. If there’s a struggle, everyone feels the heat. If mistakes are made, DnD’s improvisational roleplaying makes imperfection okay, and empathy seeds forgiveness. The story is built with empathy and without it, there is no onwards.

 

Whether or not you’re a fan of DnD, it’s safe to assume that we all lose ourselves in a moment of good storytelling. There’s something to learn and something to gain, and – like in Dungeons & Dragons – the journey is about learning along the way. Empathy is a powerful conduit in all storytelling, as it bridges our sense of connection outside of our own worlds.  

 

What ho! I beseech thee, fly onwards again to our comments section or Instagram account or maybe a Conscious Connections meet-up, where we shall engage in mirthful discourse on the nature and value of empathy! Godspeed!

The 99%

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When it comes to culture, Anna Bernsteiner fears not the unknown. Instead, the Low Entropy volunteer writer encourages us to celebrate differences and embrace the unfamiliar.

 

I have traveled to cities I have never been to, that feel more like home than the place I grew up in. 

I have met people from totally different countries and continents, feeling like I have known them forever.  

 

Ever thought about the fact that you are a foreigner in about 99% of the world? You are familiar with the place(s) you grew up in, but the rest is new territory for you to explore. 

I have always enjoyed being a foreigner. Living somewhere where nobody knows me, exploring new lands, foods and cultures. Understanding what drives people on the other side of the world.

And yet in current times, it seems that we’ve become more reserved towards others. Building walls and fences, trying to stop immigration instead of encouraging it, and spreading hate in various ways. 

 

I have always wondered why. Why are humans constantly fighting against each other? Against people with different religions, different skin colors, different cultures? 

 

There is no simple answer, but what I have gathered so far is that people are scared of the new, different and unknown. They can’t control it. It’s nothing they grew up with. It’s scary. That’s why they fight it. Unfamiliar equals uncomfortable. 

 

This trend of working against each other rather than with each other is, in my eyes, the worst direction our society can go in.  

Judgement and hate will continue to grow and drive us apart, instead of making us understand and work together. And history has already shown us where this will eventually lead. 

 

What we actually need is to understand that, fundamentally, people are all the same. Doesn’t matter where you go or where you come from. 

There isn’t much difference between me and someone from India, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Thailand or South Africa. Chances are, we all want to be loved. We want the people we love to be okay. We want to be safe. We all want to have a good life

And yes, we might speak a different language, eat different food, dance to different songs, or wear different costumes, but at the end of the day, we are all the same. 

 

And still, racism is a huge problem. 

Because we can’t accept our differences and see our similarities. 

 

We need to be more open to experiencing new cultures, learning about what drives people somewhere far away from where we were born. 

That’s how we close the gap, how we start seeing similarities and how we understand. 

By getting out there, walking in someone else’s shoes for a while. Being more open-minded and remembering that borders are man-made lines. That’s all it is – a social construct. 

 

So instead of treating each other like we are from different worlds, we need to remember that we all live on the same planet. 

Let’s choose to see each other’s similarities and accept those differences. 

 

What lessons have you learned from a culture different from your own? Share your stories at a Low Entropy get-together or leave a quick comment below – we love to hear voices from all over the world!

Conscious community

Posted on by andrew

We live in an era where life is dynamic and speedy. We are always caught up in our day-to-day life and are unconsciously doing one thing after another. We never take a moment to evaluate our unconscious behavior patterns, and as a result,  we end up surrounding ourselves with people who may be self-centered. When we surround ourselves with people who only care about themselves, we end up being like them. We start losing values like empathy, compassion and understanding. It also causes us to feel lost and unsatisfied. When we spend our time with those people, it may work out for a bit, but in the extended run, it starts to exhaust us mentally and emotionally.

 

However, we all have the ability to improve our lives by making certain changes. One of these changes is being conscious. In simple terms, consciousness is self-awareness: awareness of our thoughts, feelings and actions. We must train our minds to be conscious, and to achieve that we must practice being present and spend time with people who are mindful and self-aware. We should seek out those who  feel committed to a sense of personal purpose and growth – a growth that not only causes us to feel fulfilled, but also makes the world a better place to be in.

 

It is pivotal to surround ourselves with conscious people because we are the byproduct of those with whom we invest our time and energy. When conscious individuals

connect with one another with the intention of growth, it can positively transform their outlook

on life through mutual motivation and support.

This becomes a growth journey, and the participants can gain

knowledge they could not have gained individually. Growth can be scary, and even triggering at times: your circle should be sensitive to this, and committed to motivating, upholding and hearing each other. This small change can  significantly help us build an optimistic perspective in life.

 

Low Entropy provides an excellent platform to connect with

positive, like-minded people. It brings people together with the goal of personal development in safe spaces, where we practice mental, emotional and personal awareness,  without judgement. In a conscious community, we can find the courage to be radically honest with ourselves: all parts of our story are truly accepted and welcomed.

 

Another thoughtful service offered by Low Entropy called One on One Compassion Connection allows us to practice unconditional love, kindness, and compassion between two individuals. It enables us to be more present, which breaks our dysfunctional pattern of unconsciousness. It is a harmonious, safe place for us to rewire our brain and truly accept all parts of ourselves.

 

When everyone feels safe enough to share parts of themselves that are difficult to reveal, we gain strength and empathy. We enable ourselves to stretch our hearts to understand and love unconditionally. We start evolving into people who are happier and healthier, and through this  practice, love will start to show up in our lives and relationship in ways we would have never imagined before.  

 

Author: Jaspreet Kaur