CLOSING THE EMPATHY GAP BY CAROLINE WEINER

Our generation is selfish. We are used to having everything handed to us and instantly turn to complain about our lives. When a friend comes to complain about a problem to you is your first instinct to relate it back to a complaint of your own? We are so desperate to make conversations about ourselves that we often forget to listen to others.

I often find myself in conversations where everyone is just trying to get a word in. It feels exhausting listening to people so eager to talk that they aren’t even present for the other person talking.

Growing up as a shy kid, I have always kept in mind the skill of always being prepared to ask people about themselves. I have noticed over time that once you get someone talking about themselves, they will never stop. This has definitely been helpful for job interviews not going to lie; however, if more people would just take a step back as the listener, there are a lot of things to be learned and many perspectives that we miss from forgetting to listen.