An honest discussion of empathy begins with defining the word itself. Empathy is the ability to fundamentally understand and share the feelings of others. So defined, it is far greater than (an expression of) sympathy. It suggests a feeling and not a thought. It is a transcendent quality, bordering on the sacred.
Our own Jhana Gottlieb, through Mediation Without Borders, sees power of empathy as the basis to effect resolution, whether at the individual level or on the world stage. She will share many of the techniques and communication skills that couch the dialogue within such a world of empathy as the disputants inch toward reconciliation (see link: xxx). To what extent is empathy a learned skill, rather than an art? What would an empathic world look like?…
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