The below article makes an interesting argument about the limits of empathy for social activism. How to motivate people to do altruistic deeds is a core question for any social movement and welfare organization. Often it is not enough to feel sympathy for others; you have to be angry - or guilty - about the wrong to stand up and take action. The next question is how to sustain this motivation and activism. I feel that the 'optional, weekend volunteering' attitude is not enough, especially when helping-others comes in conflict with one's own needs and comforts. Self-sacrifice on a regular basis would require more than feeling sympathy for others. It would require changing the whole self -- with empathy and compassion as part of that -- and dedicating that whole self for the good cause. I think the author also hints at that toward the end of this op-ed. On a different note, networks of friends and meeting people's other needs in life may also help sustain activism.
The Limits of Empathy by David Brooks
"Nobody is against empathy. Nonetheless, it’s insufficient. These days empathy has become a shortcut. It has become a way to experience delicious moral emotions without confronting the weaknesses in our nature that prevent us from actually acting upon them. It has become a way to experience the illusion of moral progress without having to do the nasty work of making moral judgments. In a culture that is inarticulate about moral categories and touchy about giving offense, teaching empathy is a safe way for schools and other institutions to seem virtuous without risking controversy or hurting anybody’s feelings.
People who actually perform pro-social action don’t only feel for those who are suffering, they feel compelled to act by a sense of duty. Their lives are structured by sacred codes.
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The code isn’t just a set of rules. It’s a source of identity. It’s pursued with joy. It arouses the strongest emotions and attachments. Empathy is a sideshow. If you want to make the world a better place, help people debate, understand, reform, revere and enact their codes. Accept that codes conflict."
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