The 'Hypocrisy of being an 'Empath' - To be or not to be a 'Human'

Who is an empath? A person who feels the emotions, struggles and silent battles of people around him or her. But this article is not about "how to become an empath?" or "how should we inculcate empathy in people" etc. This article rather is about the antonym of "empath" which is "hypocrite", more so the human practice of donning the attire of "hypocrisy" everyday but seeking the blanket immunity of being an "empath."

- NIDHI SHARMA

Being an empath in the present times has become quite a romanticised term owing to the social media reels, posts that brag about the importance of empathy when in fact the humans are miles away from even understanding the word “empathy”. Any person who is not an empath is clearly and undoubtedly inconsistent with his or her emotions which will eventually result in the lack of building healthy and meaningful relationships.

I often recall one of my favourite movies, Tamasha , while talking about how important it is to be “empathetic.” The protagonist of the movie Ved (portrayed by Ranbir Kapoor) has struggled since childhood trying to make everyone around him happy. His parents, then his boss, and eventually his partner Tara (portrayed by Deepika Padukone). He just wants to fit into the boxes that people around him want him to fit in. A time comes when he realises that no one could understand what he had gone through and at a party when a friend asks him “how have you been Ved?” He lashes out and starts giving an account of his life which clearly came out as offensive and traumatising to his friend and the people around. Ved leaves but not before asking “jab janana nahi hota toh puchte qun hain” and the friend is quick to respond “ye toh sab puchte hain naa.” This is where the entire problem lies. People do not know what being empathetic is.. but since “kindness” is cool these days they just want to assure you that I am here for you .. I am here to listen to you..I cannot help you but can only sit with you while you cry.. when in fact it’s all a big farce.