On Empathy, Vulnerability, and Education

Recently, civil rights issues in the states and here in Canada have caused me to think a lot about empathy. Why is it that some people seem to express and feel empathy more easily than others? Why do we tend to jump to a defensive stance during challenging conversations? Most importantly, what does this have to do with schooling?! For this last question, I turn to my favourite escape, a quote by a respected person: 

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Astrophysicist, Cosmologist

Humans aren’t as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth.

So maybe part of our formal education should be training in empathy. Imagine how different the world would be if, in fact, (schooling involved) ‘reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy'.
                                         - Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Dr. Tyson, an astrophysicist and cosmologist (and a person who blew my mind in just one episode of the Doc-TV series "Cosmos") made this statement as part of a recent PETA interview.  Back to my original quandary on civil rights though, how might we all develop more empathy? 

A friend of mine recently reminded me of the link between empathy and vulnerability; that in order to show empathy, there is vulnerability involved in being open enough to connect with the person you are facing. Does this sound like jibberish to you? Thankfully vulnerability researcher Brene Brown explains this with more precision and clarity than I ever could in this RSA short:

Aligning with the ideas of integrated or holistic education, developing empathy is very important to our development as whole, confident people, who can relate to others, and be able to contribute to broader society.

I am learning more and more about the importance of being vulnerable and empathic in order to live a more fulfilling life. If I ever start a school, I may borrow Dr. Tyson’s "reading, writing, arithmetic, empathy” line!! For now, as we look to existing models, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for those that foster of empathy at their core.

If we accept the need for empathy and connection in our lives, we start to see a connection to schooling and broader education.