Why Are We So Damn Selfish?

It Takes Radical Empathy To Achieve Social Justice

Sometimes I still feel like a kid who just assumes the grown-ups have the situation under control. I want to believe that there are powerful experts out there who will officially sound the alarm and force humankind’s hand once we’re approaching the point of no return when it comes to making this planet uninhabitable. And then everything will change for the better.

Sadly, I know deep-down that no leader, country, organization or entity actually has the level of reach, power and influence to reverse the tide at this point. Humankind’s self-destructive habits are entrenched, fueled by ignorance, convenience and, of course, capitalism.

I believe our race is reaching the end of its run — when exactly it will happen, time will tell. But I think it’s naïve to believe we won’t go extinct…and that Homo sapiens’ run will have been significantly shorter than that of many of the species that came before us and who — not coincidentally — we caused to go extinct. I’m guessing the planet will repair itself in some capacity afterward and give life to whatever comes next.

This may all sound fatalistic and depressing. But guess what? I’m still smiling. Because I look at it this way: Here is an opportunity to hone in on where we can still make a positive impact: an opportunity for an empathy revolution.

And therein lies the good news: If you, like me and so many others, have found yourself in search of meaning, purpose and/or direction during unsettling times, here it is!

Before I go any further, let me state clearly that we still absolutely need to cease our resource-depleting, planet-polluting ways. I’m not advocating that we accelerate toward what I like to call the “WALL-E outcome,” wherein planet Earth is nothing but a giant landfill and we all defect to giant cruise ships in space like in that Disney movie with the cute little trash-compacting robot.

Because let’s be honest: When crucial resources become scarce, who’s going to be hardest hit? The people who are already getting hit hard with life every day. The wealthy segment of our population will have the means to pivot, adapt and adjust in a manner that keeps them comfortable for much longer than those less fortunate. That’s simply wrong. And we can’t let it play out like that.

Instead, even if our species’ ultimate demise is a foregone conclusion, we can still work toward justice during the time we have left: social justice, racial justice, food justice, and environmental justice. Our focus now becomes achieving equity, an ideal that has completely managed to elude humankind in the modern era.

Why do you think that is? Why are we so damn selfish?

Well, the thing is many of us don’t realize we are selfish. That’s because we’ve expanded our concept of “self” to include our immediate family and friends. We love them, we help them and we take care of them: our “tribe.” But our well of empathy only runs so deep and doesn’t typically extend to people in unfamiliar circumstances…people who live outside of our bubble.

I’m speaking right now primarily to those of us who are doing pretty well, who live sheltered in a community relatively free of struggle and strife and, at least on a subconscious level, make the mistaken assumption that our community represents a microcosm of society as a whole.

I know I’ve been guilty of this thinking myself, comfortably ensconced in my “village”: buying organic, recycling, composting, volunteering and thereby feeling secure in the knowledge that I was “doing my part.” But I’ve had a change of heart…one that I hope to parley into a collective awakening on the part of humankind.

Let me digress just a bit to help you understand my mindset a little better. I’d describe myself — and I say this without a trace of self consciousness or apology — as spiritual, not religious. Yes, I’m well aware of the fact that this phrase has become a bit cliched, particularly for an LA resident like myself. But it’s accurate.

That said, I continuously seek to understand other people’s bases of faith. And based on the stories I’ve heard from people of other faiths, the practice of evangelical Christianity strikes a chord for me, for one reason in particular. My outsider’s perspective of this belief system is that when you truly and deeply believe that a person’s only path to the Kingdom of God is to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, it becomes your moral imperative to spread this message to as many people as you possibly can — in order save them.

I feel an affinity to evangelical Christians in the sense that I believe I have a moral imperative to spread the gospel of radical empathy for social justice.

And so I encourage everyone to ask themselves the question, “If I don’t wake up every day with the goal of decreasing the suffering of others, what am I doing here?”

The question then becomes, where to start?

Well, for me, it varies from one day to the next. At the very least, I send each of my kids off to school with a reminder to be kind to their peers and to speak up when they witness injustice. That’s baseline. Bigger is when I lead a workshop on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and replenish the soil by composting organic waste. Bigger still is teaching an urban farming and food sovereignty-focused curriculum to a community of potentially revolutionary young minds.

How does this relieve suffering, you make ask? By replacing frustration and hopelessness with empowerment…empowerment that will eventually lead to justice-oriented change.

As you can see, my personal focus has been on food justice. And so I ask you, where does your passion lie? What will be your social justice mission? There are plenty to choose from: the achievement gap, food insecurity, Black Lives Matter, health care disparity, the housing crisis, the list goes on. And the point I’d like to drive home today is that these movements belong to everyone. Not just to the people being directly impacted.

In summary, if you’re one of the fortunate ones, look beyond your own community and become an advocate and supporter for those who don’t have the same advantages that you may be taking for granted. Attend community meetings, organize, fundraise, donate, reach out to government leaders — do whatever it takes to bring the same resources that are readily available in wealthier communities to everyone, regardless of zip code.

Hear me when I say it’s on us, collectively and as individuals, to address inequity and the suffering it causes by tapping into our collective capacity for compassion. Because I’ve got news for you: the governmental and corporate institutions that ushered us into this mess have no interest in finding a way back out of it.

Because entities aren’t capable of empathy…but WE are.