(Enlightened) empathy is everything
Why empathy is one of our core values at NewCampus
While walking around Tiong Bahru (Singapore) earlier today with my teammates, I noticed the words “Empathy is everything” on a vending machine.
The words stuck with me so much so that I posted about it on my personal Instagram handle. And I am now writing this article at 1 A.M., because I strongly believe those words to be true for myself and for NewCampus, but on a whole other level.
Empathy means the ability to understand and share someone else’s feelings. And although understanding a certain person, situation or idea is great, imagine how powerful this understanding could be if we translated it into something that actually pushes for concrete change and action to better people’s lives.
At NewCampus, it is part of our ethos to constantly strive to be empathetic in the way we treat those around us and the people we meet. We have taken it a step further by translating it into action, that has further led us as a company down the path that I like to call enlightened empathy. I have defined this based on our company values as “coming up with and creating sustainable solutions for the causes one empathises with.” NewCampus itself was born out of the enlightenment our co-founders gained when they realised that everyone should be given the opportunity to pursue careers they are passionate about to reach a state of fulfilment.
This level of empathy is integral to our mission and vision. NewCampus leads people into a deeper and better understanding of themselves and what they want to achieve in their lifetimes by helping them acquire new skills and learnings. The empathy we are fostering in our company’s culture permeates through all the relationships each and every team member is cultivating. We are far from being all-understanding or having the right solution to everything. But, we have made it a point to always do our best to follow and lead with enlightened empathy.
The whole team at NewCampus also aspires to encourage everyone we meet to constantly ask themselves “how can I make the lives of those around me better?” We’re cultivating a “we” mentality wherein everyone feels an obligation to help those around them reach progress and enlightenment in their lives. This is simply because the fulfilment and success of others in their life will mean that we all win as a human race. It isn’t enough for us to just be aware and feel bad that unfortunate things and circumstances exist. Enlightened empathy is more than just feeling for someone else’s plight — it asks that you make it your personal goal to get this person to a better state of living.
So is enlightened empathy truly everything? It is at NewCampus.
Special thanks to BooksActually for their piece of artwork that kept me up all night and planted the seed for this article.
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👩🏼🚀 Who we are
NewCampus is a lifelong learning school for people excited by change. We’re a gym membership for learning experiences, with daily classes hosted at a network of accessible colearning spaces. Members learn together, from global entrepreneurs and experts, about emerging business, technology and cultural trends, and consistently building the skills they need to thrive in the changing world.
We are a team of 10 passionate individuals from Australia, the United States, Singapore, China, India and the Philippines.
Originally published at www.newcampus.co.