I was going to write about how the overwhelming response to the earthquake disaster in Haiti gives us clear evidence that empathy is alive and well in the human population. We see millions of people suffering enormous loss, and we must respond, millions of us in return. We are compelled to help people we don’t […]
I grew up with parents who were extremely empathetic– both toward others and toward us, my sisters, brother and me. The Christmas season reminds me of a wonderful example of that. As the oldest of the four kids, I was the first to learn the truth about Santa Claus. I felt very important and grown-up […]
How difficult is it to live with family members who are unable to feel empathy for you or each other? I’ve had a series of interesting e-mails from a woman who recently discovered the empathy symbol and the website. She tells of the daily anguish of living just such a life. She suggested that we […]
We all start life as sociopaths. Babies don’t much care that mommy is dead tired from getting up every two hours to feed them. Their cries say it all: “Feed me. Change me. Hold me. Meet my needs.” Fortunately, we are also hardwired from the beginning to be interested in other human beings, to gain […]
The Henry Louis Gates incident is a situation crying out for an empathetic response. You have to ask yourself, if you are not a person of color, how would it feel to be automatically regarded suspiciously by the police, even in your own home? How would it feel to know that you can be stopped […]
Wanted: Supreme Court Justice. Must be empathetic and understanding. President Obama is going to appoint a replacement for David Souter, and his number one criterion for a candidate is empathy! When have you ever heard that before? Obama says he’s looking for someone “who understands that justice isn’t about some abstract legal theory… It is […]
I just read a newspaper article about an amazing organization that is fostering empathy between children of different cultures and countries in wonderful ways. It’s called Children’s Culture Connection. I spent the last hour on the website reading about the kids in countries from Iraq to Haiti to India, kids in Africa, Asian, South America […]
It was about 10 years ago, when I was volunteering in my son’s 6th grade classroom. It was Ramadan, and one of the girls in his class was wearing a headscarf. I overheard her telling the children about how she had to fast, that she would not be able to eat anything until sundown. Her […]
I got to experience a little bit of empathy for what it feels like to be homeless recently. My church is part of a group of churches that participate in a program called “Families Moving Forward.” Families who have recently become homeless can use this program, which offers them a place to stay as well […]
It ‘s good to experience being in the minority sometimes, if you are usually of the majority. My childhood experience was as majority as you can get–a WASP in Minnesota in the ’50’s and ’60’s. Now Minnesota is much more diverse, of course. But in my elementary and junior high school years in a small […]