Who deserves empathy? This is really not the post I wanted to make tonight, but I can’t help but mention something that caught my attention earlier today, since news broke of the terrorist attacks at Ataturk Airport. One of the first journalists to report this asked this of a guest, “This kind of thing has been happening more and more over there, right?”
Are the family, friends, and co-workers of those who perished, hurting any less than if those victims met their demise somewhere else?
Pardon me, but who deserves empathy? If someone is “used to” being mistreated, does the next occurrence make you care just a little bit less?
Let’s get a little more specific. If a woman does not leave after the first time you learn that she got hit, do you think she deserves it the next time it happens? Of course, I ask this question without layering it with additional context, such as the society in which she lives, physical or financial dependency, or children that may be part of the relationship.
Another pundit suggested that part of the calculus in an attack like this, is to destroy economic growth, and otherwise isolate the location where this happened from the rest of the world. I would agree with both of those points.
The Importance of Travel
Traveling, whether for work or pleasure, is a powerful means of connecting people. Business travel is a powerful economic and business driver. Without that ability to connect, at least once, the relationship tends to be lacking. The ability to understand the other side sometimes needs to be observed in order to be received. For example, I may have to give a client in New York and a client in Atlanta the exact, same piece of advice. Yet the way I present the advice can determine whether it’s accepted wholeheartedly, or rejected out-of-hand without a second thought.
Business travel is a powerful economic and business driver. Without that ability to connect, at least once, the relationship tends to be lacking. The ability to understand the other side sometimes needs to be observed in order to be received. Being there face-to-face allows me to demonstrate empathy for my client’s challenges in a way that does not always translate in email.
When you travel as a regular citizen of the world, alone, with friends or with family, the fun comes from having an experience you can’t have “back home.” Sure, you may pass some of the same restaurant chains, stores, and gas stations. But there is something unique about the place you visit; the people you meet there are all part of the memories you bring home.
Maintaining Empathy through Travel
Traveling these days may seem to be an act of recklessness. It is important to always be vigilant, whether against a pickpocket, or against a much bigger threat like we observed today. But continue to travel, we must
Isolating ourselves from all the potential places and spaces where something bad could happen only makes victims out of all of us. Let yourself not be intimidated