Empathy

What's round the corner?

Reading about the recent ruckus raised by residents in Woodlands over the location of an eldercare facility makes you wonder what sort of society we have become. I like to think that one of the key distinguishing features that separates man from beast is the ability to empathize. The ability to empathize makes us human. We can empathize with children or little kids because we were once young. We can empathize with our peers because we can often draw on similar experiences. But when it comes to the old and elderly, our ability to empathize seems to be limited, largely due to our lack of personal experience; which we will never have until it is our time to age. And so it seems that that's where our empathy reaches its limit. But another defining feature of humanity is our ability to imagine; the same power we use to project how house pricing can be negatively affected. Imagination should allow us to fill the gap where personal experience falls short. And so even though we have not walked the path of those who are old and elderly, we should be able to imagine their experiences, even if we have not cared for or lived with elders. But it seems like imagination is in short supply these days. The ability to empathize makes us human.