Empathy Map

My Grandmère, Barbara

93 years. 33,945 days. 814,680 hours. 48,880,800 minutes. Nearly a century ago, my Grandmère was born into an era of growing prosperity: 1919, the precursor to the roaring twenties. Not long after, the affluence that had once surrounded her disappeared. 

Molded by Women’s suffrage, the Great Depression, Civil Rights Movement, World War II, and 93 years of living, Barbara has experienced more than anyone I know. Ultimately, the great societal transitions she experienced and battles she fought helped shape her into the influential woman she is today.

Thinks and Feels

I know more than anything, my Grandmère cares deeply about equality for everyone. I’ve received countless

gifts attesting to this belief. I believe her notion for equality of race, religion, marriage, and education blossomed from her diehard devotion to women’s rights. Not only does she believe in this ultimate equality, but she actually fights for it. Barbara spends a great chunk of her time working to make this goal a reality through membership in numerous organizations. She also travels all over the world to gain a better understanding of how others' societies function. However, I believe that aspiring to shape society as a whole inevitably comes with worries. I do not think her fear stems from not being around to see the effects of her work, but comes from the feeling of not doing enough to set everything in motion. 

Sees

Barbara has witnessed an ever-changing world. She’s seen so many technological innovations in her lifetime, I’m sure little surprises her anymore. She believes in living simplistically without too many frills and sees the marketplace as oversaturated and materialistic. Growing up during an era of extreme poverty has put what is really important into

perspective: equal rights for everyone. She has lost many friends to time, which has reinforced that everyone’s existence is limited.

I also believe the concept of time moving forward has ingrained in her the importance of preserving the natural environment as much as possible. Innovation is great but comes at a price when the long-term consequences aren’t considered. On my birthday a couple years back, she gave me a Planet Earth book where she wrote, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Says and Does

Barbara is just as steadfast to her beliefs in public as she is in private. Upholding her beliefs means that she always has an air of seriousness and poise about her. Of course, my Grandmère is always respectful and gracious towards others. No matter what the situation, she is calm and collected. As for appearance, I’ve never seen her looking less than her best. Barbara is proud of who she is and is always dressed to impress, usually wearing some piece of exotic jewelry from another country.

Hears

In her earlier years, I am certain Barbara heard more criticism than praise. Last winter, she told me about her experience being a teacher. Ultimately, she found out that her male coworkers made more money than she did and addressed this with the supervisor. He told her to take the check and be grateful that she was getting any money at all. Barbara then took a stand for women’s rights and ripped up the check on the spot. Needless to say, everyone agrees that she has always been very forward thinking and strong-minded. Nowadays, her strong will towards equality is praised by many.

Pains

Barbara doesn’t fear death, but I believe she fears old age inhibiting her ability to make a difference in the world. There will come a time when the obstacle of age will be difficult to overcome. I believe she fears for society as a whole. She has lived through the frustrating periods of inequality. Although great leaps have been made, society still isn’t there. I think young narrow-minded people are frustrating to her because they don’t have the life experience to back up their claims. They haven’t seen society before the attempts at equality, and therefore don’t understand why it is so important.

Hopes

I believe that Barbara wants to build an equal society where everyone will be treated fairly. Even if this is unattainable in her or even my lifetime, she feels the need to increase awareness and ingrain the importance of equality to younger generations. About a month ago,

she attended an equal rights for women conference and commented about the successful turnout. Both men and women attended the conference and shared the same goal. I think the more vocal and supportive people are, the more successful the goal will be.

Conclusion

Barbara has always been an influential person in my life. I've always known and supported her views, but I never really understood why these issues were so important to her. Taking a look into her past was really eye opening.