Empathy

How do you think society might be affected if empathy was taught in schools? Imagine a world in which everyone, children and adults, knew how to care about how others feel and what they need, want, and think. The author believes while each individual has a unique capacity for empathy, some more than others, empathy can be assisted and encouraged for those who are either very motivated or who possess even a small degree of empathic aptitude. For example, empathic development may require an awareness of one's own emotions in order to begin to feel connected with the emotions of others. Now for the first time, we have a set of tools to actually learn empathy so that it becomes part of one's way of relating to others. The author describes ten practical exercises to enable the development of empathy and thereby aid the transformation of the self, the community, and human society.