Empathy can heal bridges of division in society

With more than half of humanity voting in elections this year, one of the key themes emerging globally is the alarming drift toward social division and separation.

In an age when the health of our planet is in peril, it is tragic that so much is invested in pushing us apart rather than unifying us toward a common cause. After all, we have much more to connect and unite us as humans than what divides us.

If only more time and energy were spent cultivating and highlighting this, we could begin to imagine another way - a way where we can win together rather than struggle alone.

I am fortunate to see this unifying force at play daily in County Cork and around the country. Through my work at Narrative 4, I get to spend time with educators, youth workers, and others who work with young people.

I hear first-hand about these professionals’ commitment to cultivating connection and leadership among our youth.

I also hear about the challenges they are witnessing and experiencing.

They report shocking levels of bullying, both online and offline, as well as issues of racism and prejudice, isolation, loneliness, and anxiety.

While every generation has its challenges, there is no doubt that too many of our young people are fighting significant battles.

This is especially true in the era of social media, with its often 24/7 stream of stimulation and stress coming through their screens.

I can see how sometimes it all becomes too much and how despair can set in. I wonder if this is where hope gets lost, making people vulnerable on different levels, including those preaching hatred disguised as hope.

Yet, despite it all, I remain optimistic. Ireland has come a long way. Our education system is reforming, and there is real momentum in building a culture that prioritises inclusion, empathy, and wellbeing.

Teachers are heroes of hope in this regard. The same is true in Ireland’s under-resourced youth sector, where youth workers and community leaders, often unpaid volunteers, are dedicated and determined to pursue a better future for our young people.

In a sense, they are envoys of empathy, beacons that shine out, showing how our connections to each other can shape the world we want to create.

It is often through stories that empathy is evoked. Stories humanise us; they remind us that each of us has a unique story, a life of hopes, hurts, dreams, things we run away from or run toward.

Narrative 4 creates a platform for young people to tell stories about their lives. Young people are paired and take on another person’s story. They then re-tell it as if it were their own story in a circle.

I was recently in a school in rural Cork where an Irish student shared their Ukrainian classmate’s story about not wanting to come to Ireland. You could hear a pin drop as the sense of homesickness and hopelessness was conveyed.

It was a timely reminder for everyone in the room of the nuances of migration and how not everyone has the same experience.

The Narrative 4 Story Exchange process opens up a space for this world of stories to connect us so that we can see a little more of each other’s viewpoints.

This is a powerful process for people of all ages, especially young people, during their formative years. I’ve seen it work in many settings, including among teachers, parents, policymakers, and GPs, as well as in prisons and workplaces.

Storytelling in this way allows empathy to reveal itself. Deep listening takes place, followed by being entrusted with someone’s story and then witnessing one’s own story being shared. The nervousness and excitement that had crackled in the room now gives way to a beautiful calm. It’s a type of connection that is all too rare in today’s fraught and fractured world.

Research suggests that the benefits surrounding this type of sharing help foster bonding among groups and teams, improve relationships, reduce stress, and enhance levels of resilience and wellbeing. It’s also great fun, which is a great leveller when the clouds of division are present.

Amid all the megaphones and mayhem in the world these days, the power of story offers us a portal into the possibility of better days.

By taking time to share and to listen, we can perhaps step back from the juggernaut and find a space that is so badly missing, a space for connection, as opposed to separation, with the other.

Surely, this is a story we all need to hear.

Dr James Lawlor is the director of Narrative 4 Ireland, a national youth empathy education charity active in more than 300 schools nationwide.

Narrative 4 is offering online certified Story Exchange facilitator training during the summer period. www.narrative4.ie