Learning Challenge: "Empathy in a Story"
Empathy through a lesson in kindness...
I watched the Epified videos on Krishna for my Week 10 readings, and I think the story of Krishna and the bull, Hastin, is a good example of empathy and its importance. Hastin was known as the village's fiercest and most aggressive bull, and everyone refused to go near him. However, Krishna tells everyone that he will ride Hastin by the next full moon and over the course of a month, he slowly gains the bull's trust through small acts of kindness like playing music for him and feeding him sweet treats. In the end, Krishna is able to ride Hastin through the village and he becomes peaceful.
Moral of the story: kindness and compassion are some of the best 'weapons'. I think this story also demonstrates empathy because through Krishna's understanding of the bull's situation, and the fact that it wasn't that his ferocity needed 'taming' but he just needed a kind hand like anyone else, he was able to soften the bull's seemingly hardened heart. I do think that this story is a great lesson to apply to daily life, as often we encounter people who may seem cold on the outside or may snap at us, but being able to understand that their attitude may not be a reflection of who they actually are and that they may just need a random act of kindness to help them get out of a bad mood.
I think there are many storytelling techniques that can help the reader empathise with a character, and one that tends to work for me is when authors make their characters imperfect. This especially applies to protagonists, who may have to be the hero or be the moral center of a story. However, showing that a character has their faults and also goes through their own struggles helps people relate with them, because while we may not always be able to connect with all of the great feats that some characters commit (like Krishna lifting a mountain), we can all empathise with having to overcome our trials and tribulations, negative emotions and inner demons. Additionally, sometimes telling the story from a third person perspective can also help the reader empathise with a character, because people tend to trust narrators as they are 'onlookers' who may have a more objective perspective on a story. I think sometimes an external narrator can create trust in what you're reading, especially if the narrator describes the troubling or happy times for a character in a way that is relatable, or even so intricate that it is hard not to connect with the character. I like using the third person, but I think it is not always easy to empathise with my characters, so I would like to work on that as a challenge. It's easy for the writer to empathise because we know what messages we are trying to convey or a deeper understanding of a character's backstory.
I watched the Epified videos on Krishna for my Week 10 readings, and I think the story of Krishna and the bull, Hastin, is a good example of empathy and its importance. Hastin was known as the village's fiercest and most aggressive bull, and everyone refused to go near him. However, Krishna tells everyone that he will ride Hastin by the next full moon and over the course of a month, he slowly gains the bull's trust through small acts of kindness like playing music for him and feeding him sweet treats. In the end, Krishna is able to ride Hastin through the village and he becomes peaceful.
Moral of the story: kindness and compassion are some of the best 'weapons'. I think this story also demonstrates empathy because through Krishna's understanding of the bull's situation, and the fact that it wasn't that his ferocity needed 'taming' but he just needed a kind hand like anyone else, he was able to soften the bull's seemingly hardened heart. I do think that this story is a great lesson to apply to daily life, as often we encounter people who may seem cold on the outside or may snap at us, but being able to understand that their attitude may not be a reflection of who they actually are and that they may just need a random act of kindness to help them get out of a bad mood.
I think there are many storytelling techniques that can help the reader empathise with a character, and one that tends to work for me is when authors make their characters imperfect. This especially applies to protagonists, who may have to be the hero or be the moral center of a story. However, showing that a character has their faults and also goes through their own struggles helps people relate with them, because while we may not always be able to connect with all of the great feats that some characters commit (like Krishna lifting a mountain), we can all empathise with having to overcome our trials and tribulations, negative emotions and inner demons. Additionally, sometimes telling the story from a third person perspective can also help the reader empathise with a character, because people tend to trust narrators as they are 'onlookers' who may have a more objective perspective on a story. I think sometimes an external narrator can create trust in what you're reading, especially if the narrator describes the troubling or happy times for a character in a way that is relatable, or even so intricate that it is hard not to connect with the character. I like using the third person, but I think it is not always easy to empathise with my characters, so I would like to work on that as a challenge. It's easy for the writer to empathise because we know what messages we are trying to convey or a deeper understanding of a character's backstory.
"Empathy". Source: Flickr
Hey Daana, I love this learning challenge you wrote about. I think empathy is so important for people to learn and accept. I think at this crucial time in our society, empathy is lacking severely and people need to understand that each individual on this Earth matters, and has something happening to them and they need to be treated as such. I think your example of Krishna and the bull is a great example of this, and I am glad you chose this as a learning challenge to discuss!
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