Empathy is a beautiful thing. What exactly is empathy? An empathetic person is someone who is able to relate to how another person is feeling. It is almost as if you feel the emotions that another person is feeling, you feel for them. When you feel sad because a friend is sad, that is empathy. Empathy is also feeling happy for someone when they get good news. Empathy is experiencing emotions with another person, like putting yourself in someone else's shoes.

This is a lot different than sympathy. Sympathy is feeling bad for someone. For example, a friend isn't doing well in a class so you feel bad or sorry for them. It's almost as if you look upon a person with pity.

The two are very different. I think it is better to be an empathetic person than a sympathetic person. Empathy is a great quality to possess because you aren't feeling sorry or pity, you are feeling actual emotions. Empathy shows that you really care for a person

So the next time you feel "bad" or "sorry" for someone, try to feel for their emotions instead. Offer a shoulder to cry on or a celebrate with them because once you experience someone else's emotions, you will find it easier to not pity people, but actually feel and support their emotions.