Hello Empathy, Are you There?

The current protests in India have brought out the ugly truth of our society. Social media and news is filled with bigotry, misogyny, rage, and anti-intellectualism. We have so much to fix as a country. It is 2020, and we are still shaming our freethinking artists who are speaking up against injustice. We are mocking students who question the government. We are calling youngsters dimwits who managed to get admission in some of the most esteemed universities purely based on their merit. We are aggressively questioning their right to question in a democracy. Since when did awareness and dissent become vices that need to be fixed with violence?

Taking pride in one’s religion/heritage does not mean pure hatred towards the other. Acceptance and respect has to come as naturally as breathing. How hard can it be? Is our sense of self-worth so damaged that it requires constantly maligning the ‘other’ to feel better about ourselves? As a child, I used to think 2020 would be an entirely different time. Social evils would at least be reduced drastically if not eradicated. Harmony and co-existence would be the norm of life. My heart goes for the kids who are growing up in such troubled times, environmentally and morally. I hope they are observing, learning, and grow into thoughtful adults who have empathy and courage to question.

Empathy is the only human superpower — it can shrink distance, cut through social and power hierarchies, transcend differences, and provoke political and social change — Elizabeth Thomas.

Empathy is one of the most underrated qualities. Try to notice the answers you get from people around you when asked about the top 3 qualities they would like in a life-partner. Chances are the answers would mostly be in the lines of ‘smart/intelligent, funny/good sense of humor, attractive/good-looking, honest, respectful, open-minded, confident, vulnerable, educated, ambitious’. Empathy would rarely come up in the answers, and yet it is an indispensable characteristic of a decent human being.

Would you be really fine with spending your life with someone who makes you laugh and triggers your curiosity, but is unable to see through the pains of struggles of another person? Is it okay to be a shitty person, if you have other desirable qualities? Why doesn’t HR in any company talk about it when discussing ethics? Why is it okay for you to create a toxic work culture as far as you are brining in the money or getting your job done in some way? Why do some parents allow their kids to be bullies as far as they perform well academically? Do we have to bring in some exam/grading culture to force this quality from a young age?

I do not know what it will take for humans to develop empathy and stop hurting each other. As much as I feel extremely pessimistic about the world we are living in, somewhere the child in me still holds on to that last shred of hope of a world where people do not go mindlessly spewing hatred and intolerance. Doing my tiny bit and waiting for miracles.