Whether we’re watching the news unfold or interacting with the general public, we can see that many people today don’t show empathy. When political leaders criticize empathy and adopt aggressive policies to escalate sensitive situations, their behavior sends a message to the rest of the world. Tension in the Middle East, social and political polarization in the United States, and the ongoing loneliness epidemic remind us that we’ve managed to heavily disconnect from each other’s feelings.
Empathy is the ability to understand and care about other people’s feelings and perspectives.
It’s a simple concept, but it’s caused an uproar in both social and political spheres.
People seem to take social connection for granted until they no longer have it. We learn how to socialize with others in our childhood school days, but we refine these skills in adulthood. Socialization can be uncomfortable and scary, but it’s ultimately worth our time because it allows us to truly connect with others.
At school, at work, and in public, we quickly learn that empathy is the cornerstone of healthy, sustainable relationships. It’s not a novel concept — people enjoy feeling like others hear and acknowledge their emotions. The more you empathize with others’ experiences, the more they like being in your company.
But if empathy is this simple, then why are we in the midst of a loneliness epidemic?
Some could argue that we live in one of the most social, connection-heavy eras in history. But research shows that despite its name, social media can make people more prone to loneliness and isolation. Although we have constant, easy access to others, many of us don’t know how to effectively interact with people in real life. From COVID-19 bringing us into a years-long quarantine to the significant rise in social anxiety in today’s youth, there are significant boundaries to the general public’s ability to interact with each other. When we tie these factors into the growing movement against empathy, we end up with a society that doesn’t know how to genuinely connect with other people.
Although this loneliness epidemic seems bleak, the only way to combat it is to refuse to subscribe to the idea that empathy doesn’t matter. Actively choosing empathy — even when others don’t — is the only way to re-establish genuine connection in our society.
Featured Photo by Transly Translation Agency on Unsplash.
In a world where so many people feel unseen even while constantly connected, choosing to genuinely listen and understand others can be a small but powerful act of repair. At the same time, empathy also has to be practiced consistently, not just talked about in theory. That includes how we show up in relationships, communities, and even online spaces. For anyone who feels stuck in cycles of isolation or emotional exhaustion, support systems matter too. In some cases, that can also mean reaching out for structured help, such as online rehab, when connection issues overlap with addiction or mental health struggles.