drivenwork.AccordingtoarecentstudybyDeloitte,nearly 90
percentofmillennialsbelievefinancialperformanceshouldn’tbe
thechiefmeasureofa company’ssuccess— thatfactorssuchas
social responsibility and inclusiveness in the workplace are
askey.Redditco-founderAlexisOhaniantoldWiredlastyear
thathe’sheardaboutSiliconValleyfounders“walkingoutof
investors’officesbecausetheywenttoanall-partnermeeting
anddidn’tseeawoman”.Expectingempathyandinclusivity
towardshalfthepopulationfromthepeopleshapingourfuture
is a low benchmark, but considering the Valley was once
a bastionofgenderinequality,we’rehappytoseeit beingset.
Evenonsocialmedia,popularlyblamedforanupswingin
intolerance,there’sapushtowardsmindfulness.Anewfeature
onInstagramutilisesAItoidentifyoffensivecomments,withusers
asked,“Areyousureyouwanttopostthis?”beforethecomment
goeslive.AndwhenyouclicktopostonReddit,areminderto
“behavelikeyouwouldinreallife”comesup.AsRedditboard
memberSamAltmanoncesaid,“Figuringouthowtechnology
canencourage empathyisoneofthe moreinterestingand
importantopenresearchproblemsintheworldrightnow.”
Aswe’veseen,thepublic’schangeinattitudetowardsplastic
is a collectiveshowofempathyandconcernfortheenvironment.
The outpouring of grief in response to David Attenborough’sBlueZEITGEIST
PlanetII, whichshowedthedevastationplastichashadonoceans,
spurredwidespreadaction.We’reconcernedforourworld,and
we’reconcernedforthosepeople— mostlyindevelopingcountries
— whoselivesarealreadybeingimpactedbyclimatechange.
EventheTVwe’rewatchingisincreasingourempathy.The
NetflixphenomenonWhenTheySeeUs, whichtellsthestoryof
theunjustconvictionoffiveteenageboysforassaultingandraping
awomanjogginginNewYork’sCentralParkin1989,shines
alightonpoliceracismandhighlightshowwe’renolongerso
quicktobelievetheworstofpeoplefroma particularraceorclass.
“Changedoesn’tcomeina sweepingmovement,”saysRiess.
“Weallwantthequickfix— getridofthispoliticianorleaderand
everyonewillthinka differentway— butchangecomesbylistening
andunderstandingothersthroughonelittlerelationshipata time.”
Andevenif theforcesalliedagainstempathytodayseem
overwhelming,there’sempowermentinknowingthat,ashuman
beings,wearesocial,interdependentcreatures,sowe’rewired
towards itin the deepestevolutionary sense.Whenwe see
anotherpersonphysicallyinjurethemselves,thesamepartofour
brainfiresaswhenweourselvesareinjured.Fromthetiniestfacial
cues,wecaninferanotherperson’semotionandwill,without
thinking,reflectthesame.Purelybyimagination,we’reableto
untetherfromourexperience,enterintosomeoneelse’sandbe
movedtocompassion.Connectednessandwellbeingarefelton
bothsides.“Werunonempathy,”saysRiess.“Itenrichesallof
us.”Towhatevermeasureofempathywehavenaturally,wecan
acquiremorethroughintention,practiceorsimplybyexposure.
Thedecisiontotapintoit is wherepersonalchangebegins.
Socialchange,meanwhile,requiressomeoutrage.“Itstarts
withourabhorrencewhenpeoplearebeingmistreated,”says
Riess.“Thefeelingthatthiscannotbe.”Yetstoppingatoutrage
isn’tgoodforsocietyorourselves.Inlastyear’sGoodAndMad:
TheRevolutionaryPowerOfWomen’sAnger, RebeccaTraister
putforwardthecasethat“women’sangerspurscreativityand
drivesinnovationinpoliticsandsocialchange,andit alwayshas”.
ButcitingTraister’sargumentina pieceabout#MeToofatigue,
NewYorkerwriterAmandaPetrusichdescribedhowafterso
manystoriesandsomuchpain,“Ijustfeltincapacitatedbymy
ownfury”.“Angercorrodesaperson,”shewrote.“Yourinsides
rot.Youturnsour.[It’s]infantilising,endlessandfrightening.There
isnodignifiedorproductivewaytoscreamuntilyoureyesturn
red.Allthinkingaboutmyangerdidwasmakemeangrier.”
So afterthe anger, thereneeds tobeempathy –quiet,
nourishing rather than depleting, enhanced by practice,
sociallycontagiousand,whenit evolves into kindness, Zaki
says,“asoftskillina hardworld”.
Thereisanotherfamilylunchinmycalendar,andalthough
thegesturefeelssmall,I havecalledtorostermyselfontothe
washingup.ThenextcallI makeistomylovelyuncle,askingif
he’llhelpme.Because,asI tellmydaughterswhowillbethere
too, you can talk and get things done at the same time.E87
Words: Naomi Franklin. Photography: Hana Knizova