Nurturing Empathy in the US: Thank you, Karl Becker

Karl Becker, the last questioner at last night's debate, reminded us (I hope) that what we are missing in today's world, not only in our politics is empathy. If you did not see the debate, he is the one who asked Clinton and Trump to state just one thing they liked about each other.

There was no empathy on that debate stage, maybe the occasional stab at sympathy, but no empathy.

The world we are living in is missing an empathetic understanding of each other and our environment - nature-, and unless we start to seriously recapture our ability to empathize, we will be lost. That is what I absolutely have come to understand. This hit home when I was in Ireland, where I experienced more empathy and kindness for each other and our environment. There was almost no homeless, no graffiti or trash is thrown about. People were courteous and helpful to each other, including strangers. If you smiled at someone on the street, they smiled back and the drivers ... OMG ... amazingly courteous. We were biking on some roads that allowed for 100 km (62 miles per hour) and these folks gave us room to ride, even when there was no shoulder. We were not honked at, cussed at, yelled at or made to feel like we did not belong. Sharing the road was a given. I experienced, time and again, courtesy and Empathy.

When I came back from Ireland, I felt lost and ashamed. How could we treat each other like this? Treat our living environment like a trash heap? Like others, I have become a bit callous because it is so hard to live opened up emotionally when I see and experience our world where "me, me, me, mine, and I" is all we promote. A daily experience where we tell each other what to do (because our way is right and your way is wrong), and we do not respect each others autonomy or cultural differences, and where we have NO respect for our environment. I have such anxiety that I simply want to move out to the country where I do not have to be inflicted with the continuous lack of common kindness, courtesy, the lack of empathy we encourage in our world.

We must change. We must, must, must change and Becker's final question asks those who would lead us to better embody empathy. We need examples of what this means for our children, and our children's children. We cannot give them a clean and well-ordered world, but we can give them an understanding of how humans, through empathy and care for each other, can fix our world because this is the first step and the most important step. 

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Image credits:

ABC News. (2/2016). "Karl Becker.

ABC News. (2/2016). "Trump and Clinton, Second presidential debate."

McCarthy, Rebecca. (2016)."The Rose of Tralee."