Empathy?

The War on Empathy

A high ranking unelected government official recently stated on a podcast that “Empathy is the fundamental weakness of modern civilization.” stating that while it is good to care for other people, too much empathy can be destructive and lead to breakdown of societal organization.

Here is the problem with that thinking: Human beings organized themselves into communities thousands of years ago for the purpose of taking care of each other. Those  communities needed government to coordinate how caring actions are distributed and  delivered. Therefore, government is not a business in search of profits and cutting costs. Government’s fundamental purpose is to care for people and keep them safe and allow them to do the best they can to care for each other. To be successful, this requires folks to feel empathy toward each other. Because government is, quite literally, for and by the people, it is human, and prone to inefficiency and corruption. The goal should be to improve it and make it more responsive to people, not to eliminate giant segments of it leaving people out in the cold.

We are safer and healthier when we commit to caring for all of us, especially those with the fewest advantages. Eliminating sectors that insure safety, health and nutrition will only make us weaker and sicker.

Empathy evolved as a necessary human trait to further the human race and allow for successful human development. We are better when we care for each other, and our individual mental and physical health improves when we care for and connect to others. Beware of the attack on empathy. In my opinion, this is an existential issue, and we must resist.

In health,

Dr. John Monaco

MONACO Wellness

www.monacowellness.org

(813)541-6440