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Wòch nan dlo pa konnen doulè wòch nan solèy
Meaning
The Haitian Creole proverb Wòch nan dlo pa konnen doulè wòch nan solèy means, “The rock under water does not know the pain of the rock under the sun.”
The lesson of this proverb is that people who live comfortable lives often don't know the pain that others go through. It teaches you to be empathetic by considering what others may be experiencing.
Translation: Not showing empathy, not thinking about what others are going through, not putting yourself in someone else's shoes.
Example 1
Piske Junior pap depanse okenn kòb, li panse peye bil se jwèt. Antouka, wòch nan dlo pa konnen doulè wòch nan solèy.
Since Junior doesn't spend any money, he thinks paying bills is a game. Anyway, he doesn't know what others are going through.
Example 2
Wòch nan dlo pa konnen doulè wòch nan solèy. Li pa gen kansè menm jan avè w. Se sa k fè li pa konprann ou.
She does not know your pain. She doesn't have cancer like you do. That's why she doesn't understand you.
A Lesson on Empathy
Rocks under water experience very different conditions from rocks on land, so much so that they often look very different.
The same applies to people who have experienced different circumstances. For example, someone who has not experienced chronic depression may have difficulty understanding someone who has.
The point is to try your best to show empathy because that, in turn, helps you treat the other person more kindly and with greater consideration.