Youth Incorporated Magazine

Acts of humanity are often looked at through a dusty glass, keeping the eyes fixed on the independence and a limiting impact of the act; and nothing could be farther from the truth. 

These trivial seeming acts may be a solitary endeavour but have the intrinsic ability to touch, move and influence generations to come via a ripple effect that we always seem to underestimate. These acts simply arise from a deep sense of empathy for anyone in need of a human touch, which has interestingly become rare in the present day. 

Feeling understood is not only a basic human need but it is also how we connect, help, and support one another. If we can’t recognize someone in pain, how can we support them? If we are unable to accept and empathize with our own emotions, it is difficult to be present to people around us. And for this reason, empathy is crucial for our interconnectivity.

The good news is that like other emotional intelligence (or EQ) skills, empathy can be learned and practiced. Unlike IQ or the genes you inherited from your parents, we can apply ourselves and develop a greater understanding and know-how in relating to our own and others’ feelings. And we can even extend this type of compassionate empathy virtually, which helps bridge the distance or separation we may feel.

Think for a moment – if empathy is the root of all humanity, where does it find it’s place in our society? It is close to impossible to calculate the absolute impact of acts of humanity in value chains. However we could study the way it can bring a slow worldly change by being a part of the change at any level you find comfortable. 

Realising this ideology, Sattva Socials in collaboration with a youth-driven Non-Profit Organization named Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care came up with ‘Hands for Humanity’, a food donation drive initiative. Its main objective was to feed the underprivileged amidst the pandemic; from homeless people on the streets and children in Orphanages to COVID-19 Front-liners and the differently abled. 

By the simple process of preparing a food item, packing it with love and distributing it among the needy they have not only contributed in the revolution against global hunger but also have also set a value system in people which will go ahead to change lives, change organisations and change the world.