My recent post on “The Boomerang Effect of Vanity and Arrogance” attracted highly intellectual thoughts. I share a summary of the post because of its relatedness to this article.
A rich man with expensive clothing was walking in the street with vanity and arrogance to show off what he had.
A poor man-carrying load of oil on his back was running and cautioning pedestrians to move away. The rich man deliberately did not and stopped. He said to himself “a mi going to take orders from this poor man”.
The poor man could not avoid colliding with the man. The oil poured out and stained the clothing of the rich man.
The infuriating rich man insisted to take the poor man to the judge.
John Moore contributed great comments in which he wrote, “We should note that everyone on that street missed a chance to show kindness, understanding, and decency. The onlookers could have offered to help carry the oil for the man. Or, they could have offered some assistance after the collision, helping to clean up the oil, or mediating the situation.”
The comment of Jean L. Serio expressed concern over social empathy. Jean wrote, “In your post, it is clear the arrogant individual possessed zero empathy and had difficulty understanding or relating to another’s situation. This lack of empathy can contribute to their sense of superiority and ability to act in this negative manner then complain when the situation went very wrong.”
Social empathy is so important to have cohesive societies. In her book “Social Empathy- the art of understanding others Elizabeth A. Segal wrote, “empathy is not only a part of interpersonal relations: it is fundamental to interactions between different social groups and can be a way to bridge diverse people and communities”.
My Experience with social empathy
I recall when I lived in England to pursue my Ph.D. I went to a famous supermarket chain to buy food for the week. I carried three bags and on my way to the bus station, suddenly two of the bags ruptured. All items inside were scattered on a main road with heavy traffic.
All cars stopped. Shop owners hurried with bags and collected my items. In a minute, I recovered all my items. Social empathy showed at its highest level.
Social empathy today
Only a few days ago a woman shared her dilemma on a social platform. The young woman was busy preparing for her wedding in a few days. Her ex-man threatened to publish scandalous photos of her, which he took secretly and deceptively if she married her man. The bride-to-be was in horror not knowing what to do.
It turned out that the man is paid for publishing scandalous photos on a paying social platform. Technology is making it easy for those people to act in the most vicious ways.
A university student threw herself from the tenth floor and fell dead. The reason was the same. A man threatened to publish her naked photos if she did not pay him a large sum of money.
What will happen if technology erodes social empathy and where we shall head?
Please share your thoughts.
It is important to understand that the propensity towards others is also the propensity towards ourselves: if you are the first to behave incorrectly or superficially towards others and their work, regardless of the physical or virtual place, as well as the purpose, you are contributing at the forefront of determining a path that makes the “freedom on the net” provided to us by new technologies a weapon of destruction that breaks down the principles of respect and mutual understanding.
It is therefore necessary to intervene with determination on the education and cultural formation of the new digital native generations.
I believe that the family example is fundamental in this process. Parents should be the first to create digital-free moments, abandoning cell phones themselves and talking more with their children.
Your recommendations Aldo are realistic and applicable. I value them.
Yes the startng point is the family where paents need to devote unintrrupted times for their children and show them empathy.. Broken homes lead to broken futures of the kids.
Exactly, David
This reason was the motive for me to share this post.
Thank you
Hello Ali! Social empathy is the unseen fabric that ties and knots us together as a society. If that fabric comes apart, chaos will be the result.