Essay – Lending Hands to Someone is Better than Giving a Dole
Introduction
The English proverb “Lending Hands to someone is better than Giving them a Dole” connotes the importance of assistance that an individual must extend towards another. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher once quoted, “Man is by nature an animal, an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human.” Being interdependent amongst each other is an inherent quality of human beings as it makes them social. However, the proverb states that interdependence is plausible whereas being a liability is beneath one’s dignity.
Discussion
The quote is made up of two phrases which speak of “Lending hands” while the other, “giving a dole”, both of which are acts of kindness. Despite referring to the gesture of compassion that is the essence of being human there is a minute difference between the two. Lending hands symbolizes providing assistance or aiding another during a time of crisis, which is an act of empathy. In contradiction “Giving them a dole” refers to providing every means such as a share of money to the helpless instead of making them capable enough to earn their own money for sustenance.
The aforementioned quote draws a sharp difference between empathy and sympathy.
The primary difference between sympathy and empathy is that the former is a feeling that is entirely based on emotion whereas the act of empathy requires the employment of cognitive faculties to comprehend the predicament that the other person is in. For instance, when a classmate lends his peer notes from a class he had missed is an act of empathy whereas a classmate completing his peer’s homework is an act of sympathy. The other difference between sympathy and empathy is that the former is an act of pity where the sympathizer places himself as superior to the person on the receiving end. Sympathy requires altruism from the sympathizer. On the other hand, empathy is based on compassion that is innate in human beings.
A broader instance exemplifying the difference between the two is the Covid19 Pandemic situation. In India, the Central government had adhered to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) by January 2020 by imposing covid appropriate measures such as maintenance of social distancing in public places, wearing of masks and proper sanitization. The poor and the underprivileged associated with labour-intensive industries such as transportation and menial labour lost their source of income that would sustain them with basic necessities such as food, water and medicines. A person acting sympathetically would aid the poor people without adhering to the covid-19 measures thereby endangering themselves as well as the needful people. The act of empathy would require individuals to follow proper covid19 protocol and then help the poor people.
Conclusion
To conclude, the proverb “Lending hands to someone is better than Giving a Dole” refers to the differences between sympathy and empathy. While popular perception states that both sympathy and empathy are the same things, the reality is that both are different. Sympathy is based on a feeling or emotion which is irrational and devoid of reason. In contradiction, empathy requires reason and logical understanding to understand the problem and then help others.
FAQs
Q1. How is it human nature to help others?
Ans: Aristotle, the Greek philosopher once quoted, “Man is by nature an animal, an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human.”
Q2. What is the difference between empathy and sympathy?
Ans: The primary difference between sympathy and empathy is that the former is a feeling that is entirely based on emotion whereas the act of empathy requires the employment of cognitive faculties to comprehend the predicament that the other person is in.
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