The Muscle of Empathy

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

What do you think the world needs right now?

I almost skipped this prompt. To be honest, it seemed a little cheesy. But the more I thought about it, the more I realize the world does need a lot right now. As corny as that old song is, I think Burt Bacharach was right: “What the world needs now is love…”

I don’t mean the mushy, lovey-dovey kind of love. What I think the world truly needs is empathy.

We seldom try to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Typically, we prefer the comfort of “I’m right, they’re wrong. End of story.” But things are never that black and white—whether you’re talking about social, racial, ethnic, or political clashes. I’m sure I sound like a total hippie, but I believe that if people had more empathy, the world would be a much more peaceful, less violent place.

The “Sunk Cost” of Being Right

I’ve spent years—specifically from 2017 to 2021—obsessing over American politics and Donald Trump. Naturally, I look to that movement as an example of why empathy is so rare today.

Why are people so unwilling to show it? I think it’s because they’re afraid to see that they might be “the bad guy” themselves. Many supporters feel too far invested at this point. If they admit that a leader’s actions are wrong or his words are inappropriate, it would invalidate everything they’ve thought and felt for years. They’ve crossed a proverbial point of no return, and they feel that showing empathy for “the other side” is the same as a total surrender of their identity.

Sovereignty and the “Global Policeman”

This “black and white” thinking doesn’t just happen at kitchen tables; it happens in our foreign policy. Take the recent situation in Venezuela. While Maduro being out of power might be better for the people, the way it happened—the U.S. essentially kidnapping and extraditing a leader—is complicated.

Is it really America’s place to exert its will on weaker nations just because they won’t “work with us”? Venezuela is a sovereign nation. Unless we are willing to empathize with the concept of sovereignty—to ask, “Would we accept this if the roles were reversed?”—then we aren’t being the world’s policeman. We are being its bully.

The Heavy Lifting

We often treat empathy like a fixed personality trait—something you’re either born with or you aren’t. But real empathy functions much more like a muscle. If you don’t use it, it withers. If you only exercise it with people who already think like you, it stays weak. To build that kind of strength, you have to do the heavy lifting of trying to understand someone who frustrates or even offends you. It’s a grueling workout, but it’s the only way to become strong enough to be truly gentle.

Strength is Not Aggression

This ties directly into my “100% Policy.” I refuse to accept the idea that kindness is weakness. In fact, I think anyone who is “gung ho” about being aggressive and bowling over the competition is actually deeply insecure.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I look up to the G1 Optimus Prime as a major role model. Some might find it strange to idolize an animated character, but for me, he represents the ultimate balance: his enemies feared his power, but his friends trusted his heart. I’ve written before that when I finally “shed this mortal coil,” I want to be remembered as someone who was strong enough to be gentle. But I’m realizing now that this isn’t a destination—it’s a daily practice. I’m reminded of the advice Larry Cullen (a Marine) gave to his brother Peter (the voice of Prime): “If you’re going to be a hero, be a real hero… Be strong enough to be gentle.” It takes a lot more “muscle” to be empathetic than it does to be a bully. Empathy isn’t about being soft; it’s about being strong enough to look at the gray areas of the world without flinching.

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AI art created with Google Gemini

The article “The Muscle of Empathy” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.

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