Part 5

Cultivating Empathy

How we relate to others has a lot to do with what behaviors we see, what we experience, and how we perceive and interpret the environment that surrounds us. As the world is forced to open its eyes to increased violence and aggressive behavior from the youngest children to the oldest nations, two questions cry out for attention. What is fueling this closed-minded and aggressive (both physical and psychological) behavior? How can we deactivate the anger, the hatred, and the violence, and instill, develop, and build tolerance in each person for “the others” that carries forth over generations?

Lack of acceptance and understanding for the lives and emotions of others and unwillingness to accept the differences between ourselves and our neighbors are sadly getting to be commonplace, whether fueled by religious intolerance, governmental aggression, extreme poverty, or other incendiary conditions. Anyone can name a million causes, but how many can name even one solution? After you read this section, you'll be able to name at least three. As the saying goes, “The enemy is the difference between two perspectives and the ignorance between them.”