Empathy, according to teenagers

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I taught a class on empathy to troubled teens the other day.

They didn’t understand it.

More people don’t seem to. So we explored it.

Here’s what we found.

What they teach in grade school is empathy is to imagine life in someone’s shoes.
But why does that matter?

Walk in someone’s shoes →
See their point of view →
Understand their perspective →
Understand their pain →
Understand that no one understands their pain →
Understand that they are lonely too

Lonely = Alone, not by choice
(This is on top of whatever else they’re going through)
The problem is made worse because they’re also dealing with loneliness.
Loneliness = low-self esteem + negative thoughts

By being attempted to be understood, they feel cared for →
Feeling cared for raises self-esteem →
Higher self-esteem leads to more confidence →
More confidence means more capacity to imagine better futures →
Imagining better future = Hope

That’s a long and winding road to follow.
What’s the point of empathy to you?