How should we live?
Explore fairness by viewing our values through different perspectives. Recognise how others feel in different circumstances and how this empathy may affect decisions.
16+
- Life skills covered in this lesson:
Social Awareness
Social Awareness is the ability to form connections and work with people from diverse backgrounds in terms of religion, caste, gender, socio-economic strata, geographical location etc. It is the ability to understand, empathise and accept people and practices that are different from our own. It is also the ability to recognise and exercise our rights and duties as responsible citizens.
Social Awareness includes being sensitive to local and global environmental concerns, being aware of and involved in addressing social issues, respecting and protecting the rights of others, especially those of vulnerable populations (women, children, elderly, people with disabilities, economically and socially marginalised communities etc.), thus contributing to the collective wellbeing of society.
Social Awareness In Action
The person will be able to:
- Recognise ways in which they and their peers are similar and different.
- Express interest in getting to know their friends’ native language and cultural practices.
- Articulate how a diverse set of friends or members in a team enhances their perspective and life in general.
- Determine the commonalities amongst diverse people – their basic needs, emotions, expectations from others etc.
- Analyze their community’s or neighbourhood’s needs/problems and put together a plan to address those.
- Recognise the vulnerabilities of others and be willing to accept, protect and even help, if needed.
- Show awareness of specific social causes, take a stance and use concrete steps towards addressing them.
- Get involved in organizations and civic bodies that help and contribute towards various social and environmental causes.
Compassion
Compassion is our ability to feel for others when they are in pain and be motivated to take action to relieve their suffering. It includes five essential elements – recognizing other people’s pain, accepting that human suffering is universal, feeling for the sufferer, tolerating the discomfort it causes to us without being judgmental and feeling motivated to help. It includes the aspect of Global Compassion which refers to compassion felt toward others regardless of their relationship with us, their status, background, membership to any group, and overall circumstances.
Compassion is an enduring skill that is associated with a range of positive attitudes and behaviours towards self, others and humanity as a whole. It is kindness and empathy extended beyond our own people thereby contributing to prosocial behaviour, conflict resolution, and peacekeeping at a global level.
Compassion In Action
The person will be able to:
- Recognize others’ feelings and emotions in particular situations.
- Identify their own feelings and emotions as they witness or hear about another person’s pain, suffering, hardships and misfortunes.
- Recognize how they feel when they hear about a person’s or a group’s suffering who is not related to them.
- Engage in simple acts of kindness on a day to day basis with people within their circle, as well as with strangers and animals.
- Come up with ways in which they can reach out and help others.
- Identify and validate people’s experiences across gender. race, ethnicity, geographical locations, religion, socio-economic strata etc. and show their readiness to help.
- Demonstrate a humane approach towards global problems.
- Commit to causes and put together resources in order to mobilize help.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view and context, imagine ourselves in their place and respond appropriately. Empathy is relating to others with acceptance, understanding, and sensitivity to their diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, and taking action accordingly.
Empathy plays an important role in being a socially competent person with meaningful social relationships. The ability to empathise is important for promoting positive behaviours towards others, and facilitating social interactions and relationships, thus motivating altruistic behaviour. This skill also makes us challenge intolerance, bias and stereotyping when we see it.
Empathy In Action
The person will be able to:
- Listen well, pay attention to non-verbal communication and pick up subtle cues.
- Understand others’ perspectives and feelings.
- Show sensitivity towards others.
- Help other people based on their understanding of their needs and feelings.
- Respect and relate well to everyone, regardless of their diverse backgrounds.
- Alter the way they interact with others to fit with the others’ diverse needs and feelings.
- Appreciate others for their strengths and accomplishments.
- Provide constructive feedback to others to help them improve.
- Put the needs of others first and look for ways to improve their situations.
Perspective Taking
Perspective Taking is the ability to imagine and understand a situation based on how it appears to others and their cognitive and emotional response to it. It is the ability to recognize their points of view, experiences and beliefs even when different from our own. This recognition creates the basis of mutual understanding, leading to new learning, reshaping our social interactions and developing new world views that are broader and more inclusive in nature.
Overall, Perspective Taking promotes social bonds, unlocks the potential of diversity in teams, leads to creative solutions and diminishes the possibility and impact of stereotyping.
Perspective Taking In Action
The person will be able to:
- Practise active listening skills when their friends or group members are sharing their story or viewpoint.
- Identify the need to seek out and include views, opinions and experiences of their classmates, teammates and groups in general.
- Identify and acknowledge the experiences, feelings, and viewpoints of others even though they are different from their own.
- Find ways of expressing their emotions in ways that others can understand and accept, especially in times of conflicts and differences of opinion.
Decision Making
Decision Making is the ability to choose between two or more courses of action. It is the ability to identify and analyze the implications and consequences of our decisions. It is a process of making thoughtful, constructive and responsible choices about personal behaviour related to health, relationships, career and lifestyle, considering existing social, ethical and safety norms, in varied conditions.. It includes being able to make decisions independently and taking responsibility for our actions.
This key skill when imbibed at a young age contributes to a feeling of autonomy and also a sense of fulfilment. Decision Making is also proven to positively impact the attitude and effort we put into any task.
Decision Making In Action
The person will be able to :
- Make informed decisions based on their own experience and learning.
- Understand and evaluate the consequences of their decisions.
- Take personal responsibility for the consequences of their decisions.
- Consider others’ needs while making decisions.
- Evaluate the influence of social norms and authority on personal decision making.
- Apply ethical reasoning while making decisions.
- Make responsible decisions with respect to interpersonal and group relationships.
- Analyse how present decision making affects college and career choices.
- Evaluate the influence of personal biases and discrimination on personal decision making.
- Identify and evaluate strategies to resist pressure to engage in unsafe or unethical activities.
- Improve study habits and academic performance through responsible decision making skills.
