Empathy is a Verb | Michele Borba | TEDxTraverseCity

Summary

Michelle Borba's speech addresses the decline in empathy among today's youth and the rise in narcissism. She emphasizes the importance of empathy for personal happiness, societal contributions, and as a tool against bullying and racism. Borba shares her journey to find solutions, highlighting programs like 'Roots of Empathy' and 'Seeds of Peace' that actively teach empathy. She calls for a societal shift towards prioritizing empathy and practicing 'heart habits' to cultivate a more compassionate world.

Takeaways

• 😢 The speaker's unforgettable moment was witnessing a student's disinterest in her speech on empathy, which led to a shift in her mindset and a 17-year journey to understand goodness.
• 🔍 The speaker's research led her to conclude that empathy is the key to goodness, happiness, and success, and is essential for combating issues like bullying and racism.
• 📉 There's a concerning trend of decreased empathy and increased narcissism among today's youth, which the speaker terms as 'selfie syndrome'.
• 👶 The Roots of Empathy program, which teaches emotional intelligence to children, has been proven to reduce bullying and increase empathy.
• 🌟 Empathy is a verb that needs to be active, meaningful, and real, often experienced through spontaneous and transformational moments.
• 📲 The rise of digital technology and screen time is reducing opportunities for face-to-face interaction, which is crucial for learning empathy.
• 🌐 The Seeds of Peace International Camp is an example of breaking down prejudice and promoting peace by bringing together teenagers from conflict zones.
• 🤝 Empathy is built on habits such as communication, collaboration, and perspective-taking, which are practiced at the Seeds of Peace camp.
• 💌 A simple act of kindness, like a handwritten note, can have a profound impact and demonstrate the power of human connection.
• 🌱 The speaker encourages starting with one person to practice empathy, emphasizing that small acts can lead to significant change.

Q & A

What was the speaker's unforgettable moment that changed her mindset?

The speaker's unforgettable moment was when a teenager with baggy jeans walked by her, holding up his pants, and yelled out 'great speech, now what?' This encounter made her realize the importance of teaching people to care and shifted her focus towards understanding and promoting empathy.

What is the correlation between empathy and happiness and success?

Empathy is highly correlated with predicting real happiness and success because it activates our heart, making us more likely to be courageous, compassionate, and contributing members of society.

How has empathy and narcissism changed in children over the last 30 years according to the speaker?

In the last 30 years, today's kids are 40 percent lower in empathy, while their narcissism rates have increased by fifty-eight percent, which the speaker refers to as the 'selfie syndrome'.

What is the 'Roots of Empathy' program mentioned in the script?

The 'Roots of Empathy' program is an educational initiative that teaches empathy to children by having them observe and interact with a baby in their classroom, helping them to understand and respond to the baby's emotions.

What is the significance of the baby being brought into the classroom in the 'Roots of Empathy' program?

The baby being brought into the classroom serves as a real-life example for the children to practice empathy. It allows them to observe and respond to the baby's emotions, making the learning experience active and meaningful.

What is the 'Seeds of Peace' camp and how does it relate to empathy?

The 'Seeds of Peace' camp is an international camp that brings together teenagers from conflict regions to foster understanding and peace through empathy-building activities and human connection.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of practicing empathy habits?

The speaker emphasizes practicing empathy habits because it helps to strengthen human connections, break down prejudice, and promote peace. It also helps individuals to see others not as enemies but as fellow human beings.

What is the significance of the handwritten note in the backpacks given to the children in Rwanda?

The handwritten note in the backpacks symbolizes human connection and empathy. It shows that someone cared enough to write a personal message, which had a profound emotional impact on the children, highlighting the basic human need for connection.

What does the speaker suggest as a way to combat compassion fatigue?

To combat compassion fatigue, the speaker suggests looking for the helpers and focusing on positive stories of caring and compassion, as suggested by Mr. Rogers. This helps to keep empathy open and active.

What are the three main ideas the speaker suggests to spread empathy?

The three main ideas to spread empathy suggested by the speaker are: 1) Practice habits of heart, 2) Empathy as a verb - real, meaningful, and active, and 3) Start with one - focusing on one person or act of kindness to open up our hearts and potentially inspire a larger impact.