The idea is to pause for a moment and consider the relationship of empathy trends and predictions. I include empathy as an enabler or something enabled in diverse forms of relatedness.

Now admittedly, so many of my predictions for last year were wrong that it is simpler just to acknowledge which three of the twelve proved to be accurate – or at least “in the ballpark”  

(i) In spite of evidence that mirror neurons (the purported physiological basis of empathy) do not even exist, scientific research into them continued to expand at an alarming rate;

(ii) health care insurers dominated the high ground in the market for empathy-related “behavioral health” services without actually providing empathy;

(iii) and the expanding violence mainly perpetrated by young men (and selected, large governmental organizations) called forth renewed engagements with the need for empathy.

Other than that, every item on the list fell short – but the list itself was so engaging that it was worth publishing as a contrarian manifesto or wish list rather than an accurate guide to the future.