Who am I?

The prerequisite to empathy

My two-and-a-half-month old son loves to chat with his friend in the mirror, not realizing the person staring back is actually himself. He hasn’t yet developed the self-awareness to recognize himself.

But self-awareness goes far beyond just physical features as we gain perspective on our past, our biases, and our frame of reference. It’s learning what triggers us and why we react the way we do. It’s emotional honesty.

This understanding of who we are is the prerequisite for empathy. What experiences have shaped our thinking? Why do we hold the beliefs we do? How do we see the world? Each of these questions taps into our level of self-awareness and gives us the foundation for engaging more effectively with others.

The more self-aware we become, the better we can empathize. Perhaps we need to take a closer look at our friend in the mirror. Who am I?

Side note: I used to think self-awareness was the equivalent of selfishness, but now I see a key distinction. The former is observing and learning about oneself while the latter is acting in a way that benefits oneself typically at the expense of others.