I have just been reading about empathy on the blog of one of my favorite Tarot author/teachers – James Wanless, Ph.D. (“The Voyager Tarot”). He talks about being interviewed on the use of intuition in the workplace – specifically in the interview process. (interviews would go so much better if those conducting them would listen to their intuition!). Around this time he also read a column in the newspaper on how Americans distrust the so called “power elite”.

The common denominator for him was empathy. Wanless defines empathy as the ability to know what someone else is feeling, and to use this knowledge to communicate more effectively with them.

According to the article that he read, the one quality missing from these business “hot shots” was that of empathy. They have no clue about the context of the people in their lives. They do not know what affects them, or how they are affected. And these are the people they are making money off of!

Wanless suggests that empathy is not an abstract concept – that it is all about building relationships, community, and sustainability.

Where do you see the need for empathy in your life?