While a lot of the time we forget that there is a difference between feeling sorry for someone and feeling sorry about what they are going through. This boils down to sympathy and empathy both being two very different things even if they almost sound the same.
As adults, we do not often think about this kind of thing. We don’t realize how important it is to teach our children the differences and we just, for the most part, neglect these small things even though they are much more important than we realize. I recently came across a segment from Sesame Street that put things into perspective. Yes, I said Sesame Street!
Of course, this show might come off as a bit irritating to most adults it teaches lessons that stick with kids for a lifetime and there is no denying that. In the segment I am referring to, Mark Ruffalo was present and working side by side with Murray Monster. He goes over the word empathy and how we can and should use it in our day to day lives.
Ruffalo says:
“Empathy is when you’re able to understand and care about how someone else is feeling.”
Murray at this point says he doesn’t understand so Ruffalo really breaks things down for him. While it might be a bit confusing for some he goes over it in several different ways. Murray and Ruffalo are truly hilarious and heartwarming together more-so than I had imagined.
If you want to learn about empathy through Sesame Street, feel free to check out the segment with Ruffalo and Murray together having a blast below. It is easily one of the most adorable and informative segments I’ve seen from the show. If nothing else you might get a good laugh, I know I sure did.
Featured video via Sesame Street