In Defense of Empathy

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Thinking is difficult, that is why most people judge. - Carl Jung

The preeminent narrative psychoanalyst makes an admittedly enigmatic but cogent point with this short sentence. The prevailing spirit of our age is defined by rapid-fire judgments without full and deep consideration of the often complex issues that we as a society currently face. This fact is equally true for our interactions and relationships with our fellow man. We often jump to unwarranted ad hominem attacks against individuals without debating the more appropriate target: the logical merits of their ideas. This is more and more evident in public life. The current political discourse is rife, not with politicians that debate the superiority of their respective positions and political philosophies, but with personal attacks and slander against their opponent's character. A tragic reductionism and diminutive caricatures have made political offices once held in high esteem a mockery.

Tragically, this spirit is now taking root within our private lives. Family and friendships have soured over differences in opinion as our society begins to conflate opinion with identity. How often do we find ourselves winning the argument, but losing the person? Individuals are far more than merely the summation of their opinions, no matter how inflammatory we might feel these opinions are. Whether you choose to define it as our shared "spark of the divine" as Marcus Aurelius once did, or something as simple as our shared humanity, it is something worthy of remembering whenever we engage in discussion or the unnecessary judgment of our fellow man. Every individual has aspirations, family, romances, personal philosophies, tragedies, and other human experiences that all form the latticework of who they are. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it is still merely a part of the entire gamut of the human experience. They are all aspects that everyone can identify with and share in. When we consider that these people have the same aspirations, desires, and human nature, it becomes far easier to place ourselves in their shoes and view this issue from their perspective. This exercise is a potent tonic to the combative and emotional nature of disagreement that we find so often today.

Empathy additionally either fortifies or challenges our own position. We often form straw arguments and do not take the time to critically examine our own initial conclusions. Empathy is a powerful tool that will allow us to come to a deeper understanding of the opposition, their opinions, and even our own opinions. Why do they think the way they think? What experiences or premises have led them to these conclusions? This line of inquiry is critical, because we cannot truly understand our own positions if we have no practical understanding of the opposing position.

This is not only a call for better discourse but a call to empathy. We are all the beneficiaries of the enlightenment and the traditionally liberal ideas of free speech and the contest of ideas. With this great power and freedom, we are called to a greater degree of responsibility to honor the humanity and autonomy of every individual we interact with. No act of legislation, no hashtag-driven social movement, can change how we interact with each other. The power to ennoble our culture rests solely on our shoulders as individuals and co-legislators of the human experience.