Culture and Communication

As society has evolved, so has the idea of empathy and it's affects on our culture today.  However, the idea of empathy would not have expanded across the world without mass communication.  In the past, many people in places such as the United States were unaware of the struggles of people in Haiti.  Now days, through the internet, television, phones, and other types of technology, we are able to see real live footage of natural disasters and other events happening all over the world.  With mass communication a sense of empathy has been created for those in need.  "We are so wired to experience another's plight as if we are experiencing it ourselves" (The Empathetic Civilization).  Through things as simple as watching the news, we are able to in a sense "experience" what others are experiencing creating empathy.  We are given a sense of what the other person is going through.  Slavoj Zizek says, "It is easier to have sympathy with suffering rather than thought" (First as Tragedy, Then as Farce).  Our world is coming to the belief that empathy will come with civilization.  Jeremy Rifkin says, "To empathize is to civilize and to civilize is to empathize" (The Empathetic Civilization).  Civilization and empathy go hand in hand.

However, many also believe that there is a lack of empathy, especially within education.  Sir Ken Robinson says, "The current [education] system was designed and conceived for a different age...If you are interested in the model of education, you don't start from production line mentality...It's about standardization" (Changing Paradigms).  Education is becoming standardized, however, it should go in the complete opposite direction.  Each person is different, has different strengths and weaknesses, like and dislikes.    

In our world today, many people seem to get caught up in their own lives and forget to look outside of themselves.  The world will become completely different with outrospection.  Roman Krznaric says, "So the 21st century needs to be different.  Instead of the age of introspection, we need to shift to the age of outrospection.  And by outrospection I mean the idea of discovering who you are and what you do with your life by stepping outside yourself, discovering the lives of other people, other civilizations" (The Power of Outrospection). Our society must learn to step outside of themselves and have empathy for others.