What I Want For My Birthday
I’ll be turning 60 in a few weeks. People give gifts on their friends’ birthdays, so I’m going to take advantage and ask directly for what I want. Imagine that you’re reading a gift registry, and please consider one of the following items.
1) Stop for a minute, read the next paragraph twice, and think about it for longer than you ordinarily might. It’s not easy to understand, but please try. Consider the possibility that I may be on to something original and important, and try to imagine it.
Empathy isn’t the same as kindness or compassion. It’s a kind of reading – understanding ourselves, entering the world of the other, comprehending both to the extent that it’s possible to do so, and developing a repertoire of appropriate… Continue reading