'The hidden thoughts in other people's heads are the great darkness that surrounds us,' observes the historian Theodore Zeldin. Conversation enables us to penetrate that darkness. It sheds a light into the minds of the human universe we encounter every day -- lovers, strangers, adversaries or friends. Conversation and empathy are intimately intertwined: making the effort to comprehend another person's perspective can help bring an otherwise unremarkable dialogue to life, while conversation itself has the power to forge empathic connection. Together they can generate a virtuous circle, building upon and reinforcing one another. That's good news for confronting the crisis in conversation, and also tackling our empathy deficits.
The challenge is to rethink how we talk to people so we can gain greater insights into their thoughts, feelings, and worldviews, and deepen our emotional bonds with them. And for this we can learn from the experiences of highly empathic people. I have noticed that they bring six unusual qualities to their conversations: curiosity about strangers, radical listening, taking off their masks, concern for the other, a creative spirit, and sheer courage.
-- Empathy: Why it matters and how to get it, by Roman Krznaric
(absolutely loving this book right now)
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