Can empathy be extended using one’s imagination? In a speech before he became President, Barack Obama stressed how important it is “to see the world through the eyes of those who are different from us… When you think like this — when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathise with the plight of others, whether they are close friends or distant strangers — it becomes harder not to act, harder not to help.”
I believe the best way to develop our empathetic skills is to treat others the way we would like to be treated, and this teaching process needs to start young. Then the phrases used by people would not be a mere ‘lip service’ and would be genuine.
