this post was submitted on 20 May 2026
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me_irl
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The lack of it is not a trend, but a consequence of a deliberate effort to keep it that way.
I want to believe capacity for empathy and sympathy (both for good and bad) are inherent to us all (with some exceptions), even if clouded or even manipulated by the lack of critical thinking, which I do consider a skill one has to train (and not related to being smart/intelligent or dumb/stupid).
I believe, if we all had enough critical thinking (I know I don't fully have it, even if it has gotten better with time), we would have been working together for each other instead of fighting and fucking over each other for the benefit of people in positions of power.
So, hoping for an "empathy and critical thinking" trend isn't going to save us the same way hoping for a "cancer suddenly disappears" trend won't save someone with cancer. It is like this by design, not by coincidence, and we must do a deliberate effort to change it.
As suggestions I know of or have heard of:
Bear in mind others might have gone through shit that made them the way they are right now (different culture, different conditions, trauma, indoctrination, etc.). To realize that no one is inherently evil, but the conditions we are given (our genes + our enviroment) shape us, has helped me stop hating others for their way of being, and instead wonder what led them to be like that. I never became more or less empathethic, I just changed my POV.
Read and write more to train the brain to take information, process it, and send it in or out, more effectively. And be more mindful of what you do write. (It also helps train the brain against degenerative diseases. Won't stop them, but might still slow them).
Check facts on more than one source to avoid biases, left-out info, or straight up lies or manipulation. Don't just read headlines and keep scrolling. Helps get a wider view of the world, know what goes on more precisely, and, like reading, trains the brain. (Also, bear in mind some articles are more about giving opinions or uncomplete information, than stating proven facts)