The Empathy Machine

I'm not the only one who's thought of this, apparently.

Too often, people with chronic pain or illness suffer from some indifference that others show them. What really affects a person is when their own support network lets them down. This can be a friend or a family member, but more often it's the medical doctors caring for their condition. It's only human nature for doctors to lose sensitivity to patients. They deal with case after case, appointment after appointment where the symptoms are reported, the notes made and eventually the heart gets used to the new norm.

Dr. Callous Heart, meet the machine. The machine--I wish!--would be a direct neural transceiver that would allow another person to feel what we feel on our worst days. They would be able to experience what we experience during the course of a normal day, where our limbs don't work the way they're supposed to or when the pain is intense or the side-effects of the medicine are severe. The empathy would break up the callousness and insensitivity and produce understanding. On the other hand, after hearing complaints and concerns for weeks, months and years, I would likely be more callous of heart than they are.

Understanding and grace on both sides of the patient-doctor fence go a long way toward helping heal the person and the physician while they treat the condition. One of the ancient academicians, Plato had it right, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Another man said it better, "Treat others as you would want to be treated." If you want people to listen to you, talk less and listen more. If you want people to be sensitive to your needs, open your heart to them and sympathize with them. When you, in your condition(s), show care and concern, it can have a powerful effect on even the hardest heart.

It's not a machine, but neither are people. Sow enough good, you'll reap good in return. Just be patient (ha!) and watch for the results. It beats switching doctors every so often.