‘…To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand…’
1η. Empathy… the pathway to the liberation of ego
Feeling the needs of the body and the pain from the failure to fulfill them, man soon understood that this is a common condition for all men and all living creatures. Looking to his child that suffered from hunger or illness and been unable to save it form such curses, man started feeling the suffering of another being, his child. Soon, he was able to simulate in his emotional world the feelings of other people. This ability of the human consciousness to project non-self emotions to the ego, opened the way to conceive the pure selfless-love, to unfold the Ariadne’s clue towards the exit of the labyrinth. This ability is ‘empathy’ [1].
Through empathy, consciousness identified the fear and pain as universal enemies of the living creatures and started helping each other, at least when one had nothing to lose by doing so. By relieving the pain of other leaving creatures man could thus feel the relief through empathy. Practicing mercy to the weaker members of the society, humans started to understand the feeling of ‘Compassion’ [2] .
Embracing compassion, men started to trust his fellows, as in them he could recognize a similar being that did not wish him to suffer. By doing so a social reaction against the suffering of the weaker started becoming a desired rule of behavior, a step beyond the previous step of adopting the restriction of the primordial law within the society.
[1] ‘BUT SUDDENLY a convulsive cry tears through me: "Help me!" Who calls? Gather your strength and listen; the whole heart of man is a single outcry. Lean against your breast to hear it; someone is struggling and shouting within you’. (Askitiki…The saviours of God; N. Kazantzakis)
[2] ‘Descending into the depth of our consciousness’ – step 5: Realizing the almost need-free Love to our children, ego realizes a new property of its consciousness: empathy. Ego can simulate what others feel, in his consciousness. It starts practicing ‘compassion’ and, in moments free of panic, he states that he doesn’t desire the suffering of himself but also of others.