Exposing Empathy
How do you relate in a crisis?
The coronavirus pandemic has triggered a complete range of human responses and reactions. Have you been acting differently of late?
On a national level, Hungary has just given absolute power to a right-wing leader, the US has dithered based on Trump’s hidden agendas and special interest lobbyism, while the Chinese have been ruthless. Other countries have shown genuine empathy, and asked for discipline and solidarity from their citizens: Germany, the Scandinavian countries, New Zealand and Canada are examples.
In business, there has been a range of responses too: from F1 racing teams making ventilators, to polluters getting relaxations on environmental compliance. Let’s not even mention the markets.
At a personal level, we have seen all sorts of heroic and insane behavior. Healthcare professionals all of the world have taken a step forward while, on the other end of the spectrum, fearful people are fighting for toilet paper.
Collectively, we have seen examples of togetherness, separation and total irrationality. Arguably, these responses are a question of empathy and emotional intelligence in leadership at the individual, corporate and national level. And, the thing about crises, is that they are revealing. A lot has been exposed over the last few weeks.
Are we alone and interested only in our survival? Are we interdependent? Do we take advantage of the situation and grab more? Do we see what is required of us and step forward to support the communities around us, in the ways that we can? Is there enough?
In Africa, we don’t have the luxury of wealth that buffers the first world. Our economic situation is more vulnerable, and so too is our social and political stability. There are different dynamics at play.
African economies are functionally different from Western ones. There is a large schism between the cities and rural areas, and the income and inequality gap between elites and the poor is much more pronounced. The bulk of the economy is in the informal sector which is difficult to measure, and people are not accessible, so it will be difficult to get them aid.
What this means is that to move forward from this crisis empathy, and an understanding of the challenges faced on a day by day level for those affected will be as important as liquidity. We need our communities to pull together.
To solve a problem, one first has to understand it: First empathy, then action.
