A Different Way Forward

The last few weeks have felt heavy. Headlines speak of division, and many conversations feel strained under the weight of strong opinions. Many of us are trying to make sense of a world that feels uncertain, searching for ways to stay connected when disagreements seem firmer than common ground. It can feel as though we are caught in cycles of disagreement, people speaking without listening, yet still somehow waiting for the world to shift.

In times like these, empathy can be a guiding light. Empathy encourages us to pause, to listen, and to try to understand why someone feels the way they do - and here’s the really important part - even if you don’t agree, like or connect with them. It’s not about excusing harm or agreeing with every perspective. Instead it is about recognising the human experience behind words and actions, understanding the lived experiences that often fuel feelings of hate. It is a skill that helps us move past polarisation and open up space for true dialogue. By choosing empathy, we create opportunities to connect even when we don’t see eye-to-eye. That choice has the power to strengthen our communities and begin healing the deep fractures we are witnessing in the world today.

Created by a student from Windhoek International School in Namibia.

Ways to Practise Empathy Right Now (Yes, Right Now!)

If you find yourself in tricky conversations, there are little things you can do to that will strengthen your skill of empathy and help find connection amongst the chaos:

• Pause before reacting. When sparks fly, our instinct is to throw fuel on the fire by reacting instantly with opinions, anger, or blame. Stopping to breathe before responding creates space for understanding to enter.

• Reframe anger as curiosity. Outrage burns hot and fast. Curiosity cools the flames. Instead of asking “How can they think that?” ask, “What experiences might have led them here?”. By shifting anger into curiosity, we begin to see the roots of someone’s feelings and open the door to dialogue.

• See beyond the caricature. In a polarised world, people are often reduced to labels or stereotypes. Empathy refuses to do that. It reminds us that behind every opinion is a human being with a story. By recognising their complexity, we make space for connection and avoid the knee-jerk reaction that social media algorithms are designed to provoke.

• Choose connection over hopelessness. When tensions rise, it is easy to give in to despair and to believe change is impossible. But every act of empathy, however small, is proof that we are not powerless.

Choosing Empathy can Change Everything

Empathy won’t single-handedly end wars or heal political wounds. But we do know that these things wouldn't happen without empathy as a foundation. It can shift the ground we stand on together. It can help cool tensions, not by eradicating disagreement but by changing how we approach each other’s words and actions.

If in moments of conflict we can resist the urge to shout into the void and instead choose to see, hear, and understand one another we begin to chip away at the hopelessness. We give ourselves a chance to imagine a different way forward.