Empathy

Colossal or Fly By Scale

Speed changes our sense of scale. Flying in a commercial aircraft over the landscape at 30,000 feet, we can take a peak out the window, then sip on a drink for fifteen minutes, and upon looking out the window again, the geography changes. However, shouldering a backpack and tugging on hiking boots, traversing the terrain becomes a colossal undertaking, perhaps taking weeks to cover.

How might we recognize that the speed at which we move changes the sense of scale? How might we account for the delta between a road trip on an interstate and a thru-hiker on the Continental Divide Trail? How might we understand the scale facing those that we serve?

Markets Prevail?

A portion of the social sector’s work is located on the periphery of the marketplace. We are trying to solve homelessness, and private equity has yet to figure out how to monetize addressing homelessness. Environmental causes aim to protect land and wildlife, working in the liminal space between federal, state, private landowners, and public access. Nonprofits aspire to support local artists, building bridges between educators, art collectors, galleries, and the community.

If the market prevailed, efforts to address the aforementioned areas of focus would be less viable in many cases. The social sector works on problems that are not easy to solve and require enduring commitment. It employs ambassadors who provide uniquely positioned voices and lead with empathy. Nonprofits often toggle between two realities: a human-centered approach and the marketplace.

How might we leverage the market to our advantage without sacrificing our intentions of being a force for good?

Slight Disruption, Major Impact

Ninety-nine percent success feels extraordinary. But if the one percent disturbance is the central communication outlet (see iCloud mail), then dissatisfaction can outweigh the other successes. How might we remember that not all detours create the same experience? How might we be prepared to communicate and fix the detours that are critical? What is the cost of pointing to all the services that performed when our community is focused on the damaged link?

Intentions

I am not sure who was responsible for the article posted above, but clearly, there was intention but no follow-thru. These notes might have been AI prompts or a request from an editor. Would it be better if the end of the piece was blank, or are we more intrigued that somebody showed their work?

What is your perspective on intentions? Does it make you feel more empathy if you know what another individual proposed? Does the disappointment of inaction outweigh aspiration?

Empathy Needs Space

To be empathetic, we need space for reflection and connection. If there are distractions, fear, chaos, alarm, or unsettling mindsets, we are unable to access empathy. Much of our current discourse during the pandemic has diminished the space required for us to see the humanity in each other. If we are consumed with endless distractions, we drift further away from a human-centered approach. We lose curiosity and adopt a snap judgement approach.

How might we consistently develop practices that generate space and curiosity? How might our reflections allow us to ask ‘what else might this be,’ when we encounter events and information that might be triggering? How might we recognize that the path others are traveling might be more challenging or require more of their resources than we might assume? How might we set each other up for success?

How we might realize that we are encountering others in the construction phase? We might not be seeing the final product.