Book:
The Wonderbox: Curious Histories of How to Live
@Facebook His blog
dedicated to empathy and the art of living,
Outrospection,
I believe that empathy – the imaginative act of stepping
into another person’s shoes and viewing the world from their perspective –
is a radical tool for social change and should be a guiding light for the
art of living. As I describe in this video definition of empathy, it
matters not just because it makes you good, but because it is good for you
(Video
Transcriptions: If you would like like to take empathic action
and create a transcription of this video, check
the volunteers page. The transcriptions will make it easier for
other viewers to quickly see the content of this video.)
The Six Habits of Highly Empathic People - RSA
Feb 16, 2012
'At lunchtime I chaired aneventwithRoman
Krznaric that
will soon be available to download from our website. In light of the
event’s intriguing title, and my current oppressive workload, I wanted
just to list the six habits...
"Drawing on his new book, The Wonderbox: Curious Histories of How to
Live, cultural thinker Roman Krznaric reveals how empathy - the art of
stepping into the shoes of another person and seeing the world from
their perspective - can not only enrich your own life but also help
create social change by helping us challenge prejudices and overcome
social divides. Drawing on everything from the empathy experiments of
George Orwell to developments in neuroscience and industrial design,
from the struggle against slavery in the eighteenth century to the
Middle East crisis today, Roman explores six different ways we can
expand our empathic potential."
00:00 - 20th century, era of introspection
self help - look into yourself
self interest
didn't work out so well
21st century - need to shift to outrospection
step out side yourself
ultimate art form for this is empathy
empathy doesn't just expand your moral universe -
it's good for you
helps creativity
bonds between people
its about social change
empathy can create a revolution of human
relationships
Culture told us we are self interested beings
New Science - homo empathicus
Frans De Waal
Mirror neurons
Child development
Set habits of empathy
1. curiosity of others
George Orwell - did it - go tramping
2. challenge prejudice
CP Ellis - from KKK to caring
3. Experiential empathy
Patricia Moore - dressed as old person -
universal design
4. Art of conversation
two way dialogs
Parents Circle - Palestinians and Israeli
5. Rise and fall of empathy during history
Anti - Slavery story
experience being a slave
6. Develop imagination
empathize with those in power
empathize across space and time
16:00 - Q and A
In London - blocking out others it's overwhelming?
empathic over arousal - only a few have this
we're not doing empathy enough
17:4 - not really empathizing but projecting
assumptions?
I
am in the midst of a long-term project to document instances when
empathy has flowered on a mass scale and shifted the course of human
history. While empathy has periodically collapsed on a collective scale
– just think of colonialism in Latin America or the Holocaust – there
have also been moments when it has emerged as a force for positive and
radical social change.
"Tell us
more about the crucial role of empathy, which I know is a great interest
of yours. What should we all keep in mind about empathy?
I think we’ve been too obsessed with self-interest over the last
century, and that’s limited the way that we pursue the good life. I
think that empathy – the ability to try to imagine yourself into someone
else’s life, to look through their eyes – can expand our lives
enormously. Of course, if you see somebody begging under a bridge you
might feel sorry for them or toss them a coin, but that’s not empathy,
it’s sympathy or pity. Empathy is when you have a conversation with
them, try to understand how they feel about life, what it’s like
sleeping outside on a cold winter’s night – try to make a real human
connection and see their individuality."
