This summer I’m interning at Ashoka, an organization dedicated to social entrepreneurship as a means of creating social change. Much of their work centers around empathy: the idea of empathy as our most valuable resource and the role it plays in changing the world.
If empathy is a resource, I’ve found it’s in short supply right now. All I need to do is open a newspaper, turn on the TV, or log on to Facebook to see dozens of organizations and people working tirelessly to dehumanize as many people as possible. Especially if they’re of the opposing political party.
I understand. I often indulge. Out of anger, pain, frustration, helplessness, I too reduce people. I’m not just talking about presidential candidates – in fact I’d rather go beyond them. I’m talking about anybody in their political party, any of their supporters, any acquaintances I have and strangers I pass who are supporting one person or another. It’s far easier to essentalize and shrink people I disagree with, it’s far easier to strip them of their complex humanity than try to engage.
This is the rhetoric I have often heard repeated: “I just cannot understand anybody that supports X.” It comes from the left. It comes from the right. And I’m there with you. I do not understand why many people choose to support their candidate. It is beyond me, and clashes with almost every value I have, and therefore who I am.
But what I am interested in is why. Why am I incapable of understanding? I answer myself, because I feel personally attacked, even unsafe. And, in the instances it’s not an attack on myself it’s undermining, dehumanizing, and directly threatening to the lives of my co-workers, my peers, my friends. I am not condoning the opinions that make the world unsafe for my friends.
But I do want to engage with them. Because I can. Because I want to know how we can move forward.
I am working on articulating this idea, and undoubtedly more posts to follow will continue to explore this. I am starting here, however, with this post, because I am trying to center my writing on empathy, especially for those “I cannot understand.” Sometimes I will fail. Given the current political climate, I will be focusing a decent amount of energy on injecting empathy into political parties. To those who read my posts, I ask is that you allow me the empathy I am trying to cultivate.
For now, some thoughts on and questions about empathy:
- If empathy is central for dialogue and progress, how do I balance empathy with views that feel or are a personal attack upon myself and/or those I love?
- What is it that people in opposing [anything] political parties do or do not understand about each other? Is there space for empathy in this election, and would it change anything?
- What role does identity play in my ability to engage empathetically? What identities allow me more or less access to empathetic listening & communication?
- If empathy is human resource, how can it be cultivated?
Until next time.
