Why empathy means everything to me

Empathy is my favorite word—not just today, but every day. It’s not just a definition or an idea; it’s the core of who I am. For me, empathy is feeling another’s joy and pain as if it were my own, letting my heart open to someone else’s story, even when it hurts.

Yesterday, the world’s tragedies left me speechless, heavy with sadness. It took me time and reflection to find the words, and what surfaced was simply this: empathy. I feel it deeply, and its absence in society is more painful than I can say. When I see people turn away or choose judgment over kindness, I feel a loneliness that is hard to bear.

Empathy is the thread that ties me to others. It’s the quiet promise that I’ll listen, that I won’t look away from someone’s suffering. It is not always easy; it asks me to be vulnerable and to share in sorrow. But it is also what gives me hope and keeps me connected. Even when the world feels overwhelming, empathy calls me back to what matters: caring, understanding, and choosing compassion over indifference. That is why—in the deepest way—empathy is my favorite word, and the world I want to live in.