Yes, we can change our crazy world for the better!
Have you noticed that the world seems to have gone crazy lately? Mass murders, sexual harassment, assaults, and internet crimes…
Snowed in all day, I have been thinking about life when I was growing up, how life is different now, and what is missing in our crazy world now. I believe the missing element is empathy.
Men who sexually harass and assault women would probably not do this if they had empathy for women. The young immigrant who tried to blow up a tunnel in NYC a few days ago probably would not have tried that if he had empathy for others.
Empathy means understanding how someone else feels. Empathy results in more concern for others’ welfare and well-being, and therefore it would reduce the violence and sexual assaults the news media constantly announces to the world. We cannot change other people, only ourselves, so perhaps we should begin by being empathetic ourselves and let our positive words and actions inspire the rest of the world to change.
How can we develop empathy in our own lives and in our own homes? Here are a few ways to do this.
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Counter prejudices with commonalities.
Men and women can have negative prejudices about each other. Instead of thinking about your prejudice toward the stranger of the opposite sex sitting next to you, think about what you might have in common instead.
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Try another person’s life.
This is simple. Learn more about what someone else does or believes in his or her life. As John Dewey said, “All genuine education comes about through experience.”
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Plant the seeds of empathy in our children.
Canada has a pioneering movement called Roots of Empathy that teaches school children about empathy. It has resulted in significantly less bullying in Canada’s schools and higher levels of academic achievement.
If only the US would copy Canada and create a program like Roots of Empathy, social change would be more likely here in the US. This would be great for the world, as the world looks up to the US.
Parents also need to curb the tendency to allow children to play violent video games. Shooting others even on a screen decreases a person’s empathy and increases the likelihood that he or she will commit crimes later in life.
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The world did not get the way it is overnight, and it will not change for the better overnight. But if we all work together to make our crazy world more empathetic and caring and loving, we can change the world for the better in time.
Enable everyone to soar like an eagle over life’s storms by changing our crazy world, simply by adding love and heart to it.
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One comment on “What Our Crazy World Needs”
Sandy
December 12, 2017 at 7:06 pmEmpathy! Sad to say, but many people have forgotten the meaning of the word. This is something we desperately need to re-discover! I believe that planting the seeds of empathy in our children is one of the most logical ways to begin the process and Canada is far ahead of our county in moving in that direction. Your last paragraph says it all. Thanks for sharing.