“Radical empathy, on the other hand, means putting in the work to educate oneself and to listen with a humble heart to understand another’s experience from their prospective, not as we imagine we would feel. Radical empathy is not about you and what you think you would do in a situation you have never been in and perhaps never will. It is the kindred connection from a place of deep knowing that opens your sprit to the pain of another as they perceive it.” Isabel Wilkerson Caste The Origins of Our Discontents P386 Random House 2020.
“With our current ruptures, it is not enough to not be racist or sexist. Our times call for being pro-African-American, pro-Woman, pro-Latino, pro-Asian, pro-Indigenous, pro-humanity in all its manifestations. In our era, it is not enough to be tolerant. You tolerate mosquitoes in the summer, a rattle in an engine, the gray slush that collects at the crosswalk in winter. You tolerate what you would rather not have to deal with and wish would go away. It is no honor to be tolerated. Every spiritual tradition says love your neighbor as yourself, not tolerate them.” Isabel Wilkerson Caste The Origins of Our Discontents P386 Random House 2020.
I pray thee, Heavenly Father, may I always be a radical empath and continue to learn each day to walk humbly in your footsteps, loving all of my neighbors.