Hello Lovely Humans,
My reason and motivation for wanting to increase empathy is due to personal experiences. I grew up as a foreigner in Italy in the early 2000s, when the migrational boom there was just beginning. Adults didn’t know how to help foreign kids integrate and they weren’t able to help Italian kids understand that cultural differences were ok. Most of my friends who fell into the same ‘foreigner category’ as I did, did not cope well as they grew older. Lots of them found themselves dealing with very difficult family and social situations, and they were unprepared emotionally to take care of themselves. This had a negative domino effect on their lives for a long time.
I myself was bullied and dealt with xenophobia. I struggled to understand where I was meant to fit within my new community. Along with several sources of pressure that come along with migrating at such a young age, it was no easy ride.
The only reason I did not fall into similar patterns as my fellow foreign peers, was because, in my earliest years, the adults who took care of me had managed to help me develop a strong intrinsic sense of self and they taught me how to externalise my emotions through creativity. I wish someone had done the same for my friends.
Growing up in this context, I became curious as to why it was so difficult for people to simply get along. What kept them from understanding that the way they felt emotions was the same way others felt emotions? Why was it so easy to exclude and assume? How could people be so quick to self-destruct rather than write their feelings on a piece of paper?
I read books, articles, watched documentaries and realised that I learned the most from just listening to what people around me had to say when asked certain questions. Observing in silence and connecting the dots within patterns contributed to great insights as well. As a species we are failing to connect with each other, and considering we’re social animals by nature, it’s almost an unneeded accomplishment.
We are currently lacking empathy. Empathy is key to all meaningful connections. And I will do everything in my power to increase it.
With love & care,
Lili Hartlep