The Power of Empathy

     For me, the hardest part about giving advice comes up when I have to decide how and when to give it. I find it difficult to pinpoint the most appropriate time to give it in relation to how effective I hope to make the advice. Fortunately, though, giving advice to a fictional character proves much less challenging. While reading the second section of Amy Waldman's The Submission, I found Sean's plight particularly problematic--not so much in what he did, but specifically in his thoughts and feelings toward Claire Burwell.  While contemplating Claire's seemingly extravagant lifestyle, he thought, "maybe money makes you feel less" (130). I do not agree with this, nor do I believe that money has anything to do with one's feelings--especially toward the death of a loved one. The death of Cal, Claire's beloved husband, seemed understandably traumatic to both Claire and her children. The juxtaposition of Claire's financial status to Sean's makes it slightly more understandable for Sean to believe something like this.  Both Claire and Sean, however, lost family members in the tragic attacks on September 11th, 2001, and seeing Claire's "mansion" made it easy for Sean to judge her (129). Sean, in his jealousy, saw Claire's money and house as a way to escape from reality.  Waldman makes the assertion here that feelings of jealousy can and usually do overshadow any trace of empathy or compassion towards others in in similar situations. While reading this specific passage, I wanted to tell Sean to try his best to feel empathetic. He and Claire have much in common, more than he realizes--both had close family members die in the 9/11 attacks and still suffer from the losses every day. People do not yet realize the full extent of the unconstrained, unleashed power of empathy in our society. A little compassion instead of jealousy can go a long way, and, in Sean's case, he has the potential gain a powerful ally. While I realize that one can not simply push aside all feelings of jealousy and resentment to make room for a sudden, new-found sense of empathy, I also realize that taking small steps on the road to compassion will, in the end, become astonishingly effective.