Darwin observed that conscience is what most distinguishes humans from other animals. If so, grief isn’t far behind. Realms of anguish are deeply personal — yet prone to expropriation for public use, especially in this era of media hyper-spin. Narratives often thresh personal sorrow into political hay. More than ever, with grief marketed as a [...]

“She had a great sense of humor and freckles and red hair that brought her right to her Irish roots.” She was “a dream daughter.” I have a daughter, so maybe that’s why these words cut so deep.

The horrific bombings of the Boston Marathon produced inspiring images of a spirited, brave Boston refusing to be cowed. Some spectators surged forward toward the danger to apply tourniquets, offer first aid, share blankets, and later to give blood, for the victims.

By leading the Americans in his audience at TEDxPSU step by step through the thought process, sociologist Sam Richards sets an extraordinary challenge: can they understand — not approve of, but understand — the motivations of an Iraqi insurgent? And by extension, can anyone truly understand and empathize with another? 

–Dedicated to the peaceful protestors in Wisconsin, February 19, 2011. The central issue in our political life is not being discussed. At stake is the moral basis of American democracy. The individual issues are all too real: assaults on unions, public employees, women’s rights, immigrants, the environment, health care, voting rights, food safety, pensions, prenatal [...]

Why Are We Still in Afghanistan? When I try to figure out why we are still in Afghanistan, though every ounce of logic says we ought to get out, an unexpected conversation I had last year haunts me. Doing neighborhood political canvassing, I knocked on the door of a cheerful man who was [...]

Source: RSA Bestselling author, political adviser and social and ethical prophet Jeremy Rifkin investigates the evolution of empathy and the profound ways that it has shaped our development and our society. View full video of Rifkin’s lecture at the RSA.

Fuente: Página/12 por Sandra Russo 24 de marzo, 2010 Un abrazo es un acto que ya tiene varias dimensiones. Implica al menos a dos, porque un abrazo a sí mismo a cualquiera le suena a simio, a desfasado, a narcisista. El abrazo consiste de al menos dos: uno que abraza y otro que es abrazado. Son los brazos [...]

Article published in Amauta with permission from the author By Ramzy Baroud I basked in the warm Borneo sun, following a long run somewhere at the edge of a rainforest. The beach was only partly clean, but the water was most inviting. My children ran excitedly, collecting what I assumed to be shells and whatever other [...]

Article published in Amauta with permission from the author ‘Empathic Civilization’: When Both Faith And Reason Fail by Jeremy Rifkin While our radio talk shows and 24-hour cable TV news programs incessantly play off the political rift between conservative and liberal ideologies, the deeper conflict in America has always been the cultural divide between faith versus reason. At the [...]