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Making Hope and Empathy Real
In so many ways, the country is unraveling before our eyes. Yet, I have no doubt that in time we will respond effectively. But which paths we take will be crucial, and there are two key ingredients that we must bring to our collective efforts. As I see it, the urgent task is to restore a renewed sense of hope and empathy. Progress depends on it and here's why.
The news these days can be dangerous to your mental health. Just yesterday Citigroup slashed 52,000 jobs. General Motors is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Home foreclosures continue to shake the very foundation of people's lives and community life. AIG will receive up to $85 billion in federal help. We continue to fight two wars, and the costs keep spiraling up. The list goes on.
My belief is that we must find ways to tap into our history of hope to sustain and fortify ourselves and our efforts; and we must renew our sense of empathy so that we can understand reality for what it is, and shape the future we want. Each of us must take a piece of this work and make it our own.
If there is one lesson from American history it is that in times like these we have good reason to be genuinely hopeful. Such hope is rooted in something much more enduring and proven than mere optimism. It is neither fleeting nor shallow; it is not based on one day's news cycle, or a single speech, or one set of actions. We have witnessed hard times before and consistently found productive ways forward. Our track record is of a "can-do" nation.
This brings me to the second ingredient: empathy. In recent years our public life and politics have been driven by tools of avoidance when it comes to people's plight and pain. There has been a certain "hard-nosed" mentality, which often implied that people should fend for themselves, alongside a charitable impulse that suggested that our problems can be solved by people writing checks or volunteering for an hour. There is some merit to both approaches, but in these hard times both fall woefully short. We must turn our attention to people and not fear what we will see.
A new sense of empathy would enable us to recognize the challenges and concerns of people, and understand how we might respond. This is not some backdoor ploy to open up government coffers and mindlessly write checks to anyone or any company that expresses need. The task at hand requires much more from us. We must exercise empathy so that we are able to see and hear the realities around us, and then to make discerning judgments and choices about what should be done.
For instance, should General Motors be bailed out, and what will happen to auto workers, and their suppliers, who lose their jobs, and all the communities impacted? What about all the people whose homes have been foreclosed? How long do we keep various non-profits open, and how would we make those judgments? Can climate change be used to spur new industries and green jobs, and in what ways can we get moving locally?
The point is that we must be willing to see and hear each other in these times, and to reach into our history and within ourselves for the confidence to make the judgments and choices to move ahead. Each of us will need to step forward, and we must help each other along the way.
Take the first step, and help others get on the path making hope and empathy real
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Making Hope and Empathy RealDec 8, 2008 | sarahI recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. Sarah http://www.thetreadmillguide.com
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hiDec 8, 2008 | sarahI recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. Sarah http://www.thetreadmillguide.com
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Re: Making Hope and Empathy RealNov 28, 2008 | Art LynchThis is much larger than the dot com.
We face recession and in some parts of the world depression.
Most of us have greatly reduced net worth, and many of us face foreclosure, loss of jobs or worse.
Open youself to the reality of the local, national and world communities and do what you can to be a part of the solution.
Is it the end of the world. No. My parents survived the Great Depression, a world war, Korea, Viet Nam and the iron Curtain, But they suffered. They taught me that they were lucky to be in the US, as things in the "old country" were far worse. -
Re: Making Hope and Empathy RealNov 26, 2008 | Art LynchBeing your Brother\'s keeper, taking care of the least of our brothers, understanding their plight has been lost as people vote to lower taxes, protect their own turf and protect their own isolated lives. Perhaps that changed with the rapid growth of on-line fund-raising by both political parties this past too long election cycle. But I fear not. In the drive to perceive all of us a middle class we forget that true middle class is a minority, and that the labors of all make for the wealth of a few and the employment of all. Our planet has ecosystems, but so does our society. At this time we all need to think about those who have not, vote an fight to preserve jobs for all, give up at least a small part of our own excess, and stop being in any way elite or above anyone else. I have always, since the 1970-s, seen public radio is representing all people. Too often it is marketed for smart or elite people, and targeted to those who have the funds to contribute to keep it operating, instead of toward the general population, who are smarter, wiser and often better off (in ways other than money or possessions) than the so called fund raising target. Be populist in your thoughts, open minded and accepting in your heart. Don't t look at yourself as your bothers keeper, but his or her friend, and a fellow family member in this life. Help do not hurt. Love to not hate. Give do not demand. And open up to the wealth that is the lives of all human beings. Happy holidays.
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Re: Making Hope and Empathy RealNov 26, 2008 | Art LynchBeing your Brother\'s keeper, taking care of the least of our brothers, understanding their plight has been lost as people vote to lower taxes, protect their own turf and protect their own isolated lives. Perhaps that changed with the rapid growth of on-line fundraising by both political parties this past too long election cycle. But I fear not. In the drive to perceive all of us a middle class we forget that true middle class is a minority, and that the labors of all make for the wealth of a few and the employment of all. Our planet has ecosystems, but so does our society.\r\n\r\nAt this time we all need to think about those who have not, vote an fight to preserve jobs for all, give up at least a small part of our own excess, and stop being in any way elite or above anyone else.\r\n\r\nI have always, since the 1970-s, seen public radio is representing all people. Too often it is marketed for smart or elite people, and targeted to those who have the funds to contribute to keep it operating, instead of toward the general population, who are smarter, wiser and often better off (in ways other than money or possessions) than the so called fund raising target.\r\n\r\nBe populist in your thoughts, open minded and accepting in your heart.\r\n\r\nDon�t look at yourself as your bothers keeper, but his or her friend, and a fellow family member in this life. \r\n\r\nHelp do not hurt\r\n\r\nLove to not hate.\r\n\r\nGive do not demand.\r\n\r\nAnd open up to the wealth that is the lives of all human beings.\r\n\r\nHappy holidays.
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Re: Making Hope and Empathy RealNov 18, 2008 | David WardHope, for sure, especially if we can push empathy through to compassion.
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Re: Making Hope and Empathy RealNov 18, 2008 | R.A. PufferThere have been some really interesting observations on the history we might look back on. While at lunch today one of the cable news groups was talking about what President-elect Obama is reading about FDR's first 100 days and the author talked about the need for action - rather than talking. So, maybe we will see some of that empathy. But, yesterday, I heard a community banker talking who is not at all in favor of the bailouts we have been seeing. In looking at history he commented on the dotcom explosion of a few years back and asked the question then - did our world come to an end? I can't believe as a progressive I am making this observation, but I think we need to have some hard discussions before tax money goes to pull any of these other not-so-well managed companies out of the ditch. This banker talking yesterday noted that there is going to be pain, that there is already some pain and his question was do we take the pain now and start getting healthy or do we put on some bandages and continue to feel a nagging pain for a long time to come. It was an interesting question.