“Unity” is Meaningless without Empathy and Action
Originally published at https://maristinitiative.com/2017/02/14/unity-is-meaningless-without-empathy-and-action/
Recently, on both the national and campus levels, the message of “unity” has been lauded as the best way to move forward from the discordant national feelings about the future of our country. But what exactly does it mean to advocate for unity? And are we actually doing it?
“A totality of related parts; an entity that is a complex or systematic whole.” This is the Merriam Webster definition of unity. Many on both sides of the political spectrum have touted this message of “unity” in recent months, although it seemed to take on almost opposing connotations. On the left, it morphed into a message of resistance, which completely discounts the positive subtext of the word. On the right, it became a dismissive, condescending tool to quash dissent and discredit opposing opinions, which is in diametric opposition to what our country was founded upon.
If you are dissatisfied with the direction of our country, form an “uprising,” not a resistance. If you see hope in the future and truly want to embrace this message of unity without using it as a political tool, there are some effective ways to do so.
If we want to truly incorporate the message of unity into our lives, we must understand that we are this “systematic whole.” We must realize that it takes all of us to make this democracy work; all ages, races, genders, religions, socioeconomic statuses. The only way to do that is to embrace each other, first.
We reach this understanding through practicing empathy. Empathy is the genuine interest in trying to understand someone else’s viewpoint, no matter how different it is from yours. Humans are social animals. We have empathetic tendencies programmed into our psyche. This recent individualistic denial of those tendencies has lead us down a path of miscommunication, misunderstanding, and ultimately, division. You cannot advocate the message of unity when you have no conception of what others’ perspectives and motivations are.
Hopefully, this exposure to differing viewpoints and perspectives inspires you to learn more about the larger social, political, and economic issues facing each and every one of us. It is easy and convenient to believe that the system in place is the best we’re going to get. Historically, that’s not true. This is a “great American experiment,” where we are constantly evolving and changing to adapt to the new discoveries and challenges facing our world. YOU could have a part in that change, in those discoveries, in this experiment.
Once you’ve educated yourself as much as you can about the incredible variety of the human experiences and the larger forces at play, it is time to take action based on your understanding of the true meaning of “unity.” That action comes in an abundance of forms. For some, it means going into a career of public service, for others, it means being a community organizer, and for others, it means showing up to their town meetings every month and voicing their opinions. Many people find specific issues that really resonate with them and become advocates for change based on their own experience. Others do their best to support loved ones by becoming advocates for them. And this is just scratching the surface. There are so many ways to become an engaged citizen.
While the message of unity is imperative, it is meaningless if it is not coupled with true empathy and concrete action. This is our primary message at The Initiative. We want to effectively promote empathy, education, and unity while engaging our college community in the social, political, and economic issues that they will inevitably come face-to-face with upon graduation.
In order to promote empathy, we have set up our “Student Stories” section, as well as our “Faculty Voice” section. These are places where you can learn the backgrounds and perspectives of the people you walk by every day. We hope this will encourage you to carry this curiosity about the people around you out into the real world as well.
In terms of educating yourself, there are so many valuable resources available to you as a college student, yet we realize that with the abundance of information (or misinformation) available at our fingertips on the internet, it can be hard to maneuver where to find the most credible information. Our “This Week in News” and “Out of the Echochamber” sections seek to help you navigate this overwhelming sea of information and formulate the most comprehensive perspective possible.
Then, it’s time to take action. This is the primary goal of this publication. We want to discourage the culture of apathy that has plagued our campus for too long, one that is perpetuated on the national level as well. Being an engaged, informed, and active citizen is one of the most unique privileges and duties we have as American citizens. It’s time to take on that awesome responsibility. It’s time to take your own initiative.
