My friend J has insisted I read the book
Talking Back to Prozac by Peter Breggin, MD (1994, St Martin's Press). While doing so I came across this passage that I believe speaks volumes.
Quote:
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Probably no other emotion is more highly devleoped or crucial in the human species than empathy. Empathy-a loving caring and concern for others-creates friendship, family, and society. It lies at the heart of all truly cooperative effort. When especially heightened in an individual, it motivates the most creative and heroic actions. It is probably the single most important human quality.
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I deduced this was true a long time ago, and I have never before found such a simple single explanation for what I believe is the cause of most of the world's ills. As Ive said before I raised my children with this in mind and it was easy to do because as a parent I had such influence. My question is how does one, or even can one, teach empathy to an adult?