Compassion and Empathy

Almost all of my writings end with the same call to action. That being to make your best effort to find empathy and compassion for everyone you encounter. I figured that it is about time that I dive into this a bit deeper. Saying those words is easy, but putting those words into action is much more difficult. I try to do this in my day-to-day life and often fail. Knowing something on an intellectual level and implementing that something into your life are two very different things.

I was speaking with a client of mine the other day. Our conversations usually involve him keeping me up to date on what the world is talking about. Truth be told, I pay very little attention to the ‘news’ nowadays. Anyone that reads these writings on a somewhat regular basis probably knows that. He, however, pays very close attention. So when we see each other he fills me in on the details of what the world is talking about.

In our last conversation he was speaking about the attack on Paul Pelosi. Not the events of the attack, but rather the defense strategy that the attacker’s attorney had come up with. This defense attorney was arguing that his client, the attacker, was overly-susceptible to mis-and-disinformation. His client’s inability to discern truth from propaganda is the reason that he attacked the California representative’s husband.

This is quite a genius strategy. It also sets a very interesting precedent should it succeed in court. Even if it doesn’t officially work as a defense it still points to my plea for compassion and empathy. This strategy asks us to look at the entire story instead of just the most brutal part of the story. This is what it means to have empathy and compassion.

This attorney’s strategy is an attempt to show that there is an entire process, or chain of events, that leads to this type of extremism. Taken a step further, there is a chain of events that leads to every action. Attempting to understand every link on that chain is how we can start to undo these knee-jerk reactions of anger and hate.

I actually find it especially easy to understand extremist tendencies nowadays. There are so many people and institutions vying for our attention and the motivations of these people and institutions often isn’t in the best interest of the consumer. These efficient tools, such as social media and 24-hour news, make this relationship between information provider and consumer very asymmetrical.

So to put all of the blame on the individual who has succumbed to this faulty rhetoric seems somewhat erroneous. Certainly no-one should break into another’s home and hit them in the head with a hammer. That action comes with consequences, but blame and accountability should also be shared with the people and institutions providing said person with their false information.

This doesn’t seem much different than the libel and slander laws in America. One can’t simply say whatever untruths they want about a person without the possibility of legal recourse by the slandered or libeled person – should that person be able to prove the untruth caused some type of loss in their life. That loss usually being some type of property or their ability to make a living.

So how do we find compassion and empathy in this landscape? I think a good place to start is by defining who the victims are and who the perpetrators are. As stated above, no-one should be attacked in their homes because of their relationship to power. However, I’d say that the majority of the people that believe in the Qanon conspiracy, and adjacent conspiracy theories on the far Right, are primarily victims and secondarily perpetrators.

I’m sure those that believe these far-Right conspiracy theories would consider me, and those that think like me, to be under a similar spell. That spell being cast by the media landscape on the other side. Perhaps there is some validity to that, and perhaps I’m partially ignorant to my own shortsightedness. Although, I’m not aware of major events of physical violence being perpetrated on the far Left. And while conspiracy theories exist at every pole and all places between, it seems that the most extreme Right-wing theories and voices are being amplified in their media.

Another theme that I tend towards in these writings is a distrust of money and power. The same is true here. It is those with money, power, and influence that are spreading this misinformation and disinformation. They are doing this because their pursuit is not for truth, but rather for attention – and the dollars that attention brings.

When trying to find compassion and empathy it is of utmost importance to try to take all this into consideration. We aren’t living in a political or media landscape that provides bald truth and facts, and then allows the individual to make up their own mind. Instead we are living in a world where very powerful institutions have the most powerful tools of manipulation and coercion ever created at their disposal. Our hyper-engagement to media and the ease with which we can engage is unprecedented. We are still in the infancy of these technologies. We haven’t had time as a populace, or species, to adjust to what these technologies and those wielding them can do.

Don’t hit people with hammers, but also don’t snap judgement on someone that you disagree with. Try to understand what led them to this current worldview. It is likely that there is little you can do to change their mind. It is also likely that there is little they can do to change yours. So maybe find some common ground on which you both can relate. If that isn’t possible then wish them well and move on, but don’t be angry. An attempt at compassion and empathy is all we can do. Changing minds isn’t necessary.

I appreciate your attention and hope you’ve found value in this.
Thanks for reading and please take care of each other.