Has Empathy Died?

I read an article recently on one of my favourite websites 3 Quarks Daily. (I recommend the site if you ever want to have your brain tickled with interesting and (mostly) objective articles on varying subjects.

This particular article that has stuck with me was about empathy. Here's the link: Can We Revive Empathy in a Selfish World?  (Spoiler alert: they think virtual reality might help.)

It basically stated that as society moves away from agrarian communities into metropolises, our empathy has been eroding. Why? Lots of reasons, but mostly the anonymity of city life, social media and (most fascinatingly to me) the idea that society is Just. (Capital J, on purpose!) How does that make us less empathetic? It takes away our responsibility. If society is just, then the people operating in that society get what they deserve. This thought allows us to feel secure in our own lives. We've worked, followed the accepted path and succeeded (to whatever extent). In other words "we have what we deserve". The flip side of that process though is that people who operate on the fringes of society: the homeless, the addicted and people with mental health challenges must also have what they deserve. This seems to explain why we can be so outraged over the treatment of animals, but so horribly apathetic to the plight of our fellow man.

If the world, or society, isn't actually just, then could our lives be just as susceptible to downturns of fortune? What an uncomfortable and scary notion. We've lost that whole "there but for the grace of God, go I" concept. I mean that in the most non-religious sense. We refuse to admit that our good fortune has anything to do with plain dumb luck. I know that I'm living the life I have because of a lot of amazing luck. I could have been one of those street kids fleeing from a bad home life, dead from an overdose, or struggling with schizophrenia, bipolarism or dissociative states. Yes, it could be me scrounging for bottles to try and get a hot meal. Dumb luck put me where I am. Did I work to better myself, get an education and did I work hard? Yes, of course. So did a lot of those "other" people. When I see someone asking for spare change, trying to wash windshields to get a few bucks together etc, I actually do see a human being. I look them in the eye, I say hello. If I can't give them money or offer them a meal, I can at least treat them as a fellow human.

For whatever reason this thought keeps coming back to me over the past few days and I think it's key to maintaining some sort of caring for others.  So ask yourself "do I believe that I live in a just society?" Then try and figure out exactly what that means.