Mother Earth

Empathy Power Up

This is not another climate change episode, but it is one about empathy. Well, the lack of empathy to be exact. Our society breaks our connection to each other, and equally important is that it disconnects us from nature. Because we do not feel or see our interdependence, we feel like we can exploit nature to incredible ends. It’s a literal race to our own end.

Exploitation as a function and a feature of white supremacy culture. It says we must fear the things around us, to sever the ties to our planet and all living things on it. Our culture uses resources instead of living with them, which is an essential part of Capitalism. On top of this, the pandemic and 24-hour news cycle brings nonstop news of suffering that makes us feel like we have no more empathy left to give--even to ourselves. We put the blinders on and we can only respond to what’s directly ahead of us, not what’s around us.

Humans have placed ourselves at the top of the food chain hierarchy, but whenever there is a hierarchy we must also beware. It leads us to have power over other animals while also being an animal. How might we get to a place where we coexist with and live in partnership with the planet instead of always taking from it?

“You are who you meet.” says Agustín Fuentes, American primatologist at Princeton University. Have you met Mother Earth? There’s much she wants to say to and teach you.

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Amy J. Wilson designs worlds where every person gets what they need, the power to achieve what they want, and the agency to do what they love. For nearly 20 years Amy has put empathy into action: she has built cultures that hold change so that organizations and the people within it can thrive. She has challenged the status quo and redesigned systems centered on compassion and equity at more than a dozen organizations and can both set and implement the vision. She is the bestselling author of Empathy for Change: How to Build a More Understanding World: https://www.amazon.com/Empathy-Change-Create-Understanding-World, a guide to create positive transformation where we work, live, and play. Grab a copy anywhere books are sold or the audiobook on Audible.

Kevin A.K.A Captain Empathy is the Founder and CEO of Jaago (means to wake-up in Hindi). Jaago’s vision is to create a world where people seek to understand one another by making empathy a daily habit. He is a tech leader and IOT (Internet of Things) pioneer and expert. He brings practical experience, lived experience, and his transparent growth journey to the podcast.

Follow:

• Kevin at @shahkevin or https://linktr.ee/shahkevin
• Amy at @realamyjwilson or Linktree: https://linktr.ee/empathyinaction