EMPATHY AS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

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In this clip, I reflect on harmony by examining the limits of translating the word empathy into Kiswahili. There is no single Kiswahili term that fully captures the meaning of empathy or clearly distinguishes it from pity or compassion.

In most dictionaries and online translation tools, empathy is translated as huruma. However, huruma is closer in meaning to pity. In everyday usage, it refers to feeling sorry for someone who is perceived as less fortunate, or reacting to misfortune from a position of distance. For example, one might say “Namwonea huruma”, meaning “I feel pity for that person.” This does not convey empathy.

When attempting to express “I empathise with you” in Kiswahili, there is no precise or culturally satisfying equivalent. Common metaphors, such as “putting oneself in another person’s shoes”, also reveal their limitations. Such expressions are not always culturally or environmentally appropriate. What, for instance, if people do not wear shoes?

Research in neuroscience and neurophysics suggests that empathy is biologically embedded in human beings. As a humanities researcher, I find this persuasive, not only in theory but also through lived observation across different societies. Empathy appears to be universal.

Empathy functions as an unspoken human language. It does not depend on words, but is expressed through shared feeling and a sense of common humanity. It involves recognising oneself in another person and understanding that one could just as easily be experiencing the same situation, because the capacity to feel pain, joy, fear, and care is shared by all humans.

For this reason, empathy is not pity. It does not involve hierarchy or distance. Rather, it is a deeply embedded human capacity, present from birth, that enables us to understand how others feel and to relate to them appropriately.

This is evident in early childhood. Babies often cry when other babies cry and respond with smiles to laughter. This occurs without language or instruction, demonstrating how empathy is part of our human wiring.

My concern, therefore, is that if we fail to reconnect with this inner grammar, this grammar of harmony, in our everyday lives, we risk losing our sense of shared humanity.








 

I am a Tanzanian-born media anthropologist and postdoctoral researcher in transcultural studies, exploring how cross-cultural encounters shape the ways humans perceive, judge, and relate to one another and the world. This blog shares insights drawn from decades of research, observation, and lived experience, showing how perception structures value, relationships, and ethical responsibility. Extended residence and research in North Korea, Russia, and Western societies have shaped my transcultural perspective: seeing ourselves through others. From this emerges the harmony gaze, an ethical and relational orientation that aligns perception with action, fosters interdependence, and nurtures wellbeing for humanity, non-human life, and the planet. I also develop and share the KEA framework—Knowledge, Empathy, Attitude—which cultivates positive vigilance, guiding perception toward alignment, care, and ethical responsibility in daily life. This space is dedicated to disciplined inquiry, mindful engagement, and intentional living, offering reflection, guidance, and insight for a more harmonious world. -Regina Kessy Wilkinson, (PhD) Transcultural Studies

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