"If the future is to remain open and free, we need people who can tolerate the unknown, who will not need the support of traditional blueprints from the past.”
—Margaret Mead

Empathy is popularly defined as "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another." Research indicates that it is a vital force in creating better relationships and having a positive impact on our well-being and society. However, when viewed from an ecological perspective, empathy becomes much broader. It can provide a more in-depth understanding of our interdependency with others and the resources with which we coexist.

There is no doubt that empathy can have a transformational impact on our world. Helen Riess, author of The Empathy Effect, stresses that in this era "the ability to connect empathically with others—to feel with them, to care about their well-being, and to act with compassion—is critical to our lives, helping us to get along, work more effectively, and thrive as a society."

Being empathetic helps us recognize how to tend to the needs of others and is a significant gateway to healing conflictual wounds. Most of all, it encourages a way to mutually learn from each other. This is crucial, as Nora Bateson, President of the International Bateson Institute, believes "if humanity can’t approach the complexity of our world with greater collective effort, we can’t meet the challenges we face now."

The National Institute of Health reports that most people feel better emotionally when they are acknowledged and understood. Empathy supports the parasympathetic calm part of our

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