Empathy: is what we need today

Feeling another's anger (or disgust or fear) is critical in creating the right sense of urgency towards change, but it's not enough. Empathy, i.e., feeling what another person feels, is a means to an end. What we need now, more than ever, is compassion -- the ability to walk a mile in another person's shoes, seeing the world through their perspective, for the sake of alleviating their suffering. Put another way, compassion equals empathy plus action, and if we're going to materially change our behaviors, it will be action that we need more than anything.