Unlocking Empathy: From Personal Transformation to Global Impact

Compassion’s Ripple Effect

Empathy is our best opportunity for tackling our smallest and biggest challenges — near and far.

And our empathy is not fixed; it can be developed.

Psychologist Robert Ornstein and biologist Paul Ehrlich, in ‘Humanity on a Tightrope,’ point out that while we are hardwired to empathize with those closest to us, by extending humanity’s compassion, we will be able to tackle the challenges ahead, from global warming to pandemics and war.

Empathy offers success within our working and personal lives and far beyond.

And if we lack it, we have the potential to change.

We can begin to transform how we respond to others and the environment in which we find ourselves by:

1. Cultivating curiosity
Develop an insatiable curiosity about the particulars of those you meet.

Spend time with people you know less well, and ask them about themselves, how they are, and what their life is like.

Be present with people when you talk to them. Recognize the subjects that make them passionate, happy, or sad.