The absence of empathy has become unbearable in this country today and when a society turns away from empathy, it loses its soul. Although we are social being by nature, empathy does not come natural to all of us, it is to some extent, an evolved trait. It is not sentimentality or pity from a superior point of view, it is instead the experience of understanding another person’s thoughts, feelings, and condition and to responds to them with an appropriate emotion.
Sadly empathy in America is a political affiliation, it is localize and kept among groups. Groups whose ideals are so strong that they would turn the blind eye on injustice or applaud harmful behavior just to reinforce their existing loyalty. The polarization in this country is much deeper than a disagreement in certain political or social issues, it is a poison that is driving bitterness within race and culture, separating our economy fortune and weakening our social bond.
America has not been a model of empathy, its history on slavery, racism and military escapades dismiss that thought. Throughout our history we have allowed anger, hate and fear to divide us, we must admit our problems and take measure to overcome them. Nonetheless we are still a multicultural nation, our democracy depends on our ability to reason together, to feel for one another and to create social structure with better outcome.
Now to reenact what empathy really is let's imagine a man, a little’s girl’s father, someone’s son… pressed to the ground by an authority figure…. screaming in agony for eight minutes and forty six seconds, with a knee on his neck while he gasp for air...imagine him pleading for his life and others begging for him too…..all while this officer of the law completely disregard this human’s desire to live…until he loses conscious on that pavement…..until he breath his last breath…until he die. Now picture him to be your father, your brother, your son.
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