Empathy

“Man wishes to be confirmed in his being by man, and wishes to have a presence in the being of the other….

Secretly and bashfully he watches for a YES which allows him to be and which can come to him only from one human person to another."

Martin Buber,

I and Thou

"It is notable how little empathy is cultivated or valued in our society. I put this down to our traditional racism and obsessive sectarianism. Even so, one would think that we would be encouraged to project ourselves into the character of someone of a different race or class, if only to be able to control him. But no effort is made."

Gore Vidal

(Oct 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012)

"Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 6:31)

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 7:12)

http://j.mp/OLMS8A

On the one hand we are called to play the good Samaritan on life's roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway.

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.

Martin Luther King Jr.

“We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization - black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another.

Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion and love....

What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another.” Robert F. Kennedy

On the one hand we are called to play the good Samaritan on life's roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.

"A Time to Break Silence," at Riverside Church” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Join the empathy and compassion center page.

http://facebook.com/EmpathyCenter

"The truly enlightened ones are those who neither incite fear in others nor fear anyone themselves."

"I am a stranger to no one, and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all."

"Whom should I despise, since the one Lord made us all."

Guru Granth Sahib

This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you

Mahabharata, Hinduism

 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12,

Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. Luke 6:31

Jesus

“Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.

A true revolution of values will soon look easily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. Martin Luther King