PAX: Fruit Loop, Lite Brite, Yoga Mat, Shipyard
PAX (not in Slack): None
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
Run/walk to Waffle House with some half assed pearls along the way. Coffee. Breezy-walk back.
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about two concepts: empathy and our understanding of right and wrong.
Starting with right and wrong, the question is “how do we know what’s right?”
To that end, the Euthyphro (you-thee-pro) dilemma was a question that Socrates asked about just that.
To paraphrase, “Is something right because it is loved by God, or does God love it because it is right?“
the answer is a debate that’s at the core of all religion and philosophy. Is there a universal Right or is right and wrong relative?
I have an answer that works for me and gives me comfort, but that’s not the answer that works for everyone – which is why I’ve been thinking about empathy.
“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eye for an instant?”
– Henry David Thoreau
I think that the ability to empathize is foundational to functioning relationships at all levels. We teach to our toddlers so they learn to get along with others, we rely on empathy to and from it in our partners for a healthy marriage, and we need it in our communities in order ensure safety and prosperity.
Practicing intentional Empathy not only helps us to understand the choices that others makes, but also helps to guide our choices in a way that is right.
Take a moment and think about someone you disagree with. What can you do to better understand why they believe what they do? Not so you can convince them of your opinion, but so you can better understand why they believe that it is right.