Dociled and humbled in an alien world
I think that it might be very worth while for all of us to empathize with a new born infant. Apparently most of what a person turns out to be is determined greatly in those first five or six years of life. Our challenge is to learn to comprehend this character forming years in the life of an infant.
I empathize with a person not to give approval or to condone the actions of that person, but to create a means whereby their actions have meaning to me. When their actions become meaningful to me I can thus walk in their shoes and perhaps through such empathy I will be able to act in a way that will improve the situation in which both that person and I am involved.
Empathy is the first step to comprehending and thus to solving situations in which I find my self. Ignorance is generally not bliss; ignorance is not the path to peace, harmony, or freedom.
When I try to place myself in the ‘shoes’ of the new born infant I shall imagine myself as a captive of aliens who whisk me off into their world. I imagine myself in a world of giants who terrify me. I imagine that my vision is distorted and my hearing is overly sensitive so that I hear appalling shouts and noises that add to my shock and awe. I am naked and it is very cold.
One giant takes me into its arms and embraces me with frightening but warm strength. This giant stills my first feeling of terror and I am overcome with a feeling of joy, impotence, and dependence. I have found a refuge in this new and awful world of noise and fearsome creatures; I have found one creature that stills my terrible dread.
Before this creature held me I felt the same frightening feeling I had once when I was about to drown. This creature also seems to anticipate my needs for food and security.
Alarm! Alarm! My savior has gone! I was drowsy and I closed my eyes; I had such fearsome dreams, and now I am again all alone. The one agreeable aspect of this horrifying experience is gone. I am completely alone in a world of creatures who stomp about crushing things beneath their hulking horrifying bodies. I can hardly see and the sounds are horrifying and painful. I sense that one of these strange terrifying creatures is approaching me now!!
I was taken to a place and circumcised; without any pain killer!
The creature with whom I had begun to feel somewhat comfortable with handed me over to another creature that smelled very bad and that creature proceeded to cut on my body with a metal instrument and the pain was beyond describing. They all crowded around me and seemed to be in high spirits and ignored completely my screams. I think I fainted with the pain. When I again became conscious the pain was unbearable yet I had nothing to do but bear it.
I am exhausted from the screaming and the pain and cannot even eat or even think about eating. I drift off into a long sleep. Fortunately there is sleep, even though my sleep is filled with dreams that are beyond my ability to describe or to comprehend.
One great consolation out of this experience has been the bond that has formed between me and Affection. Affection is the name I have given to the only creature here who has made me feel secure and calm. Affection has made me warm when cold and has made me calm when frightened and stressed. The one great thing that has come about from my very painful experience has been Affection.
How can an adult empathesize with an infant?
Is there good reason to try to empathesize with an infant?