The first pillar for me to develop empathy for you is my ability to “see what you see.”
This is also known as perspective taking.
When we talk about perspective taking, it’s a layer “removed” from the perspective itself. This means that we are then able to “try on” the perspective.
We try to stand in the shoes of another.
To do this, we try to see perspectives in general.
And, most importantly, we try to see our own perspective first.
What is my own world view?
What do I believe?
What I am not seeing?
What does my language and my habits say about my own perspective?
As a culture, we need more empathy. And as part of this, it’s highly likely we need more self awareness.
