Empathy. What a nice word! In the Soviet Union, we didn’t know such a word. Actually, it came to Russia somewhere in the 2000s, from the West.
I’m not saying empathy didn’t exist in the USSR. But as a term, ‘empatia’ in Russian appeared much later.
As I come through turbulent times in my personal life, I have encountered empathy from more people than I could have imagined. It really did help me and encouraged me on my bumpy way. And I really appreciate everyone who showed empathy towards me.
Now I know that empathy means a lot.
Still, empathy alone can’t fix your situation. While it’s valuable to feel supported, ultimately you must solve your own problems.
From my experience, empathy is not fading. In fact, there are more empathetic people than I once believed. Often, you notice empathy most when facing challenges. During hard times, its presence becomes clear.
Is empathy fading?
Yes, because we are all, to a certain extent, allowing it to happen. Empathy should be the glue that holds our basic relationships together. You know, feel what others feel, and respond with due compassion.
But what is happening today is dictated by ever-increasing technology, and polarised politics. This makes us quick to judge, easy to outrage, and actual listening, such a great empathetic culture, seems to be taking a backseat.
In my country, there is a political party, who may well get elected into power at the next election, that is gaining support for having absolutely no empathy whatsoever. Nigel Farage, and his despicable Reform movement, have got many British voters hating immigrants, most of whom are fleeing to Britain to simply save their lives.
You need emotional energy to extend empathy, and this is where so many of us fail. Whether we are stretched thin by economic challenges, social divisions, or simply the sheer pace of everyday demands, it all feels like survival is more important than showing compassion.
Mrs B was once a Samaritan, https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ and indeed, became a director of a branch for some years. She taught me how not to judge, and how to listen without giving advice. I have kept her knowledge and understanding, and consider myself to be a pretty decent upholder of this empathy thing.
It doesn’t fade on its own, only when we forget to practice it. Empathy still lingers in the quiet corners that are not reported because it’s actually good news. We all need to notice, to listen, and to care, even if the rest of the world suggests otherwise.
Fading? Yes, but gone forever? That’s up to us.
Is empathy fading?
I suppose I’m lucky, I have had the chance to spend time in a number of places around the world. There are a few things I have learned in my time abroad. At the top of the list, I would say that folks everywhere are mostly the same. Obviously, there are national personalities but mostly we are the same.
Americans, for example, are open, loud, and kind. But these generalities fall along a spectrum: there are individual Yanks who run the gambit from mean to loving. Every country is the same. If you accept the above, then you should also believe that there has been no major shift in the total number of people who feel empathy or hate for their fellow man.
What has changed dramatically is the number of people who think it’s normal to express open distain for those who have come from another land. Elon Musk, an immigrant, has become the poster child for lacking empathy to the point of contempt and he wants you to know that empathy is a fundamental weakness and a threat to Western Civilization. In the US, Christian Nationalists are outspoken in their un-Christian views on empathy.
One can understand Elon’s outlook, even if you disagree. The poor consume resources which are better spent helping the rich get richer. The only way to get the homeless into apartments is to start taxing the rich. It’s the folks who call themselves Christian that I don’t understand.
During the Irish Potato Famine, politicians said feeding the starving would create dependency. To save their lives, millions emigrated to the US, where the great-grandchildren of these immigrants use the exact same arguments to deny resources to those who need them. These people have always been with us.
Is empathy fading? Not at all. Those who don’t have it now, never have and those who care always will.