Understanding Empathic Essence

A Simplified Walk Through The Conceptualization Process Of Empathic Essence based on a multi-sited Social Anthropology research

Empathic essence is an experience we encounter at the state of self-transcendence as we yield the agency of interconnectedness. In this essay, the aim is to walk you through a simplified process of how it was identified and conceptualised. To fulfil this, we will give a brief background of the research and highlight one of the groups of the ethnographic data to show how empathic essence as a concept was identified and conclude with the definition that was derived from the process.

It all begins with a social anthropology research based on a multi-sited ethnographic data which uses the Oxfam resilience capacity theory (2016, pp.13-17) to study how people in pursuit of spirituality navigate existential complexities of life and changes in life conditions.

In this research, spirituality groups were studied, and it was observed that in the state of unitary consciousness worshipers operated with an essence (a Geist so to speak) that embodied empathy and self-consciousness which inspired them to pursue an awakening of social conscience, empowerment of mind, maturing of emotional intelligence, and stimulation of intellect. This pursuit further manifested agency in them to foster interconnectedness and aim to diffuse “us against them” attitudes in their communities.

Among the groups of this study is the house church groups, which replicates the community structure of the early church as they fully portray the oikos and koinonia concepts from the Book of Acts and the Epistles of Paul. They maintain no priestly structures, use no vestments and cathedrals, are non-denominational, very familial, and participative.

In the state of unitary consciousness (which in basic Christian terms will mean the state of salvation; a state of ultimate connectedness between the believer and God through the atonement of Jesus Christ) this group shows that Christian spirituality as portrayed by the early church, functioned in oneness, a unit whole. They believe that all things are created by God through Jesus Christ so even in our diversities and uniqueness we are one and must be reconciled through Jesus Christ back onto God to form this unit whole.

To manifest this wholeness, however, they assume the activist position of which the cultivation of empathy and self-consciousness is ultimate and inevitable. In terms of attitude, they become very compassionate, altruistic, modest, rectitudinous and pacifistic-thus being non-judgemental, loving the neighbour as themselves, interceding in prayers for others even their adversary, being at peace with everyone, being forgiving, and always accepting, appreciating, and respecting otherness.

Developing these attitudes, they seek to stimulate and empower their minds which matures their emotional intelligence and awakens their social conscience. As they grow in these attitudes and cultivations, they respond to the convictions of agency and relentlessly seek to foster interconnectedness in their communities.

To operationalize this observation, these attitudes, convictions, cultivations, and the emanated aura of virtuousness was conceptualised and termed as empathic essence (or empathic Geist). The definition for this concept was therefore derived as:

the experience that cultivates and inspires agency to embody self-consciousness and empathy to pursue an awakening of social conscience, empowerment of mind, maturing of emotional intelligence, and stimulating of intellect to foster interconnectedness in communities to diffuse “us against them” attitudes.

By agency of interconnectedness, we are referring to the empathic essence conviction that enables a person to perceive the universe as a unit whole consisting of elements and organism which are unit wholes themselves but need to interconnect to sustain and flourish each other. In other words, since all these elements are part of the wholeness of the universe, flourishing them means sustaining the health and wellbeing of the universe. This means organisms such as humanity, must communion and bond to fulfil this responsibility of sustaining and flourishing the universe with health and wellbeing.

As a proactive Geist, empathic essence functions in three capacities to navigate complexities and changes in life conditions. First, it functions in an absorptive capacity by maintaining stability to endure and cope with impact of “shocks and stress” that unfavourable changes in life render. Second, it functions in an adaptive capacity by reinforcing adjustments and modifications “in response” to anticipated unfavourable changes and complexities of conditions in life. Finally, it functions as a transformative capacity by identifying the “root cause” of the destructive or unfavourable existential conditions and changes in life and ensuring to activate the necessary curtailing measures to diffuse these conditions and changes (Oxfam 2016, p.17).

It is for these reasons that we believe empathic essence is the most effective concept for community development and the advancement of virtuous civic values. Hence, our decision of developing forms and programs based on empathic essence to advance civic values in the western community through school, healthcare centres, and workplaces.