Research done for several of the past years has shown a general demise in empathy. There’s no clear answer to why, but it may have something to do with the adage that says, hurt people hurt people, and a lot of people feel hurt. We’ve had a few moments of genuine community in this country, like immediately after the 911 attacks, and there were suggestions of compassion for a while during the pandemic, but overall empathy has been tough to find … until now. Generations Y – Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) and Z (born between 1997 and 2012), the most digitally savvy and possibly screen addicted groups have often been the most maligned as lacking people skills, but, lo and behold, they’re the demographic that just might lead us out of the morass. Empathy is cyclical; it just goes up and down over time, but unlike my ever learning to fold a fitted sheet, there is hope.

And if you’re ever looking for an interesting approach to help opposing groups of people find their commonality, you might consider this.