Humans are generally assumed to be rational beings. Thus, when faced with a decision, they’re likely to take the most rational option. This extends to human beings’ care for others. More often than not, the people we directly or indirectly relate with on a daily basis are less likely to want to harm us as against the ratio of those that have a propensity of harming us. Sequentially, we are more considerate than we are credited for. Humans do not go about harming the other person; rather it’s otherwise. People who tend to harm others are the outliers.
Show of concern, empathy or compassion as the case may be, however, differ from person to person. Usually, it’s a scale of proximity through relations. Your immediate family are expected to show the most compassion, followed by close friends, extended friends and family, neighbours, the community and so on. Occasionally, there’s a change in the scale; so it’s not certain.
Additionally, people tend to show more empathy to people that actually need it; put to context, a disabled person. As expected, they’re likely to get help before a fully fit person. For them, compassion and empathy build up to unconditional love. People express compassion to them without expecting anything from them. This is noteworthy because many argue that love and compassion are transactional; thus people who are not capable of reciprocating do not receive love or compassion. This is problematic because many people fall in the category of being unable to reciprocate. Babies, human vegetables, mentally unstable people and of course, terminally ill people fall within this category. The case in discourse shows otherwise. In fact, it shows the extent to which people can go to express unconditional love.
I read the case “Letter to Almudena”. I can’t point to what I was expecting from the letter but I felt different after reading it. The letter was from a father to his sick daughter, Almudena. She suffered from severe psychomotor retardation. The father expressed his love for her and emphasised that it is unconditional. Knowing her condition and her needs, he reaffirms that him, his wife and her siblings will be there for her. He expressed how much they have learnt from Almudena. Her unique ways of doing things and her innocence have taught them patience, generosity, understanding and love. He appreciates her and believes that she’s part of God’s plans in their lives.
The case describes empathy, love and hope in a very unique manner. Empathy and love can be shown to someone who may not even be able to recognize or reciprocate it. Love and pain go hand in hand and it’s possible to experience both at the same time. Love is contagious; we can say the same for pain. When a loved one feels pain, it is likely to have an effect on us also. Hope keeps man going. We’re constantly hoping for better lives and better conditions. The hope that certain conditions will get better even when we can’t see the possibility in sight is noteworthy.
