A Word on Empathy

Empathy is like stepping into another person’s world without leaving your own. It is an attempt to understand someone as they understand themselves, to acknowledge and accept the world of another while still living in your own, and to experience all of this without passing judgement.

Human empathic consciousness has changed throughout history. Some 30,000 years ago, empathy experienced between homo sapiens and their blood-relatives kept tribes together. When the invention of religion caused detribalization, and people instead helped those within their church. Later on, the industrial revolution and technological advancements expanded empathy and the sharing of wealth to a national level where people felt connected to those within their country.

From tribalism, to religion, to nationalism. All growing forms of identities. All abstract concepts manufactured to give humans a sense of belonging.

With the technology keeping us connected today, is it then not possible for these identities to break beyond a country’s borders and spill across nations, race, and political beliefs to a reach a worldwide capacity? As Jeremy Rifkin says, “we must all rethink human nature and bring out empathic sociability”, for if empathy were to expand to include the entire human race, World Peace would have a chance.