Empathy: Edifying Education [2022]

As a new-born, crying in response to another crying baby, born empathetic, how is it that we come to shirk accountability by not wearing masks, not physically distancing or cyberbullying? Is there a lacuna in our upbringing, our education system or our society as a whole?

There is an increasing dialogue in social organisations — in schools, workplaces, court rooms, governments — on the importance of empathy.

Firstly, a conscious alignment of oneself with others starts with the development of empathy in the early years, in school, and later in the workplace.

There is concrete scientific evidence to prove that there is a correlation between empathy and doing well in school. Empathy is what enables us to relate to other people, to understand them and to be compassionate towards them. It is therefore integral to the social experience of schooling and childhood.

Empathy yields kindness — a quality most parents hope to instill in their children. Children with higher levels of empathy are more likely to engage in ‘assertive bystander behaviour’ — that is, they are more likely to stand up to a bully on behalf of someone outside of their friendship group. This kind of courage can be life changing for a child who is feeling isolated at school or being bullied but doesn’t have the courage to stand up for themselves.

Research shows that empathy is crucial in navigating the many challenges (social or otherwise) that occur during schooling.

Scientists think that there is a very strong link between empathy and the formula for academic success.

People who understand how to watch, listen, and observe the actions and emotions of those around them are often the most successful in life.

A strong sense of empathy can therefore be the key to professional success, too. This is because empathy drives thoughtful problem solving. Employers recognise this, with one study ranking empathy as the third most important people skill needed to succeed in the workplace.

A 2013 research report states that empathetic individuals set and achieve positive goals, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. The exact kind of life skills required to lead a productive life. It is clear that empathy is a not just a positive personal quality, but an evolving beneficial life skill.

Secondly, research has proven that empathy is essential to building healthy and happy relationships with family and friends.

People with empathy have stronger personal connections and more meaningful, supportive relationships.

Empathy makes us better at handling conflicts. It makes it easier to convince and motivate others. It broadens our horizons. Therefore, it is the most powerful tool to help us connect with other people.

Empathy is what sets us apart from machines and even from many other animals. Studies suggest that the ability to feel another’s pain is the central component to motivating prosocial behaviour. The cognitive and emotional components of empathy are both necessary in promoting healthy social functioning.

Finally, there has been a rather rude reminder in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic about the contribution of empathy in individual social and leadership roles for control and prevention. Female leaders of several nations communicated with empathy and care at the beginning of the crisis employing both technology and love for their people, validating years of timid research on the leadership style of women affecting greater empathy, leading to beneficial governance. For many years the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the link between changing environmental conditions and epidemic diseases. A study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment provides evidence of a mechanism by which climate change could have played a direct role in the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Coping with environmental crisis cannot but presuppose a change in the values adopted by modern man. The development of empathy can thus become a vehicle of transformation towards a society based on ecological principles.

To ensure that we can meet the challenges of health, justice and progress in the twenty-first century, we will need to concede to the role that empathy plays in both individual and institutional consciousness.

The cornerstones of parenting, schools, community, environment and culture need to be evaluated and polished so that we as humans, possessing the genetical and neuronal building blocks of empathy, can learn this skill and practice it to its deepest expressions.

As the wise spiritual guru Dalai Lama puts it, “Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquillity and happiness we all seek.”