How empathy changes us

The difference between understanding and agreeing

Empathy is about understanding another person’s point of view. It’s learning what they believe and hearing their story without passing judgment.

But understanding how a person sees the world doesn’t automatically mean agreeing with their worldview. We can maintain our beliefs while empathizing with people who think, act, and believe entirely different from us.

Of course, demonstrating this kind of genuine empathy is hard. It’s hard to hold our beliefs without being threatened by opposing ideas and yet willing to change when new evidence warrants it.

Empathizing changes our perception. But it’s up to us whether or not we change our beliefs based on our newly expanded perspective.