Empathy Is the Cure

In a world that’s teetering on the edge of chaos, there’s a growing chorus of voices arguing that empathy is some kind of sickness. Figures like Charlie Kirk, Elon Musk, and others have suggested that caring too much about others is a weakness—that it somehow makes us soft or less capable.

But after what I experienced today, and what so many of us are witnessing, I can tell you this: empathy isn’t the sickness. Empathy is the cure. In fact, let’s take it a step further: we need to empathact—to turn empathy into a verb that means stepping up and taking real action to help one another.

Today, I found myself stranded with a dead car battery and just a handful of dollars to my name until my paycheck drops this evening. I was piecing together a solution—calling a tow service within my budget, getting a loan from a friend to cover a ride for my daughter—when a stranger with a jump-starter kit came along and got my car running. It was a chain of empathy—friends, strangers, even a tow truck driver willing to help—that got me through.

That chain of helpers - and the larger chain that has been there for me countless times over the past years - reminds me: empathy is contagious, but only if we let it move us into action.

The Shadow of Violence

Right now, we’re watching a lot of arguments unfold about what it means to have empathy in times of violence and political division. Some say that caring about those who are harmed—even those we might disagree with—is a form of weakness. But I believe it’s the exact opposite.

Charlie Kirk was assassinated yesterday. I never agreed with him, but we don’t have to agree with someone’s ideas to mourn the violence of their death. Violence of any kind casts a shadow over us all. I have empathy for his wife, his family, the people who witnessed his death, and especially the children forced to grow up in a world where public figures are killed and used as symbols.

At the same time, I grieve the hundreds of innocent American kids who die every year in school shootings—kids whose lives are taken too soon, whose families are shattered, whose classmates carry trauma forward. Every single one of those short lives deserves the same grief and consideration as any public persona.

Empathact is a word we need! It's also the featured in the latest edition of my web-series Wordrise! Check it out!

The circumstances are different, but they are connected by the same social illness: violence, hate, neglect. That’s why it’s time for empathaction.

Empathaction isn’t just ‘thoughts and prayers’—it’s a doing. It’s seeing the humanity in others and choosing to make the world a little less harsh.

Did I make up the word? Yes, I did. Because we need it.

We need empathaction because it calls us to courage—the courage to stand for human dignity instead of shouting past each other and hiding behind slogans.

If enough of us put empathy into action soon, we might have the chance to heal.

For leaders:

• Tell the truth—about corruption, elections, climate, and the president.

  
  

• Protect lives—pass real gun laws, fund schools, address healthcare.

  
  

• Defend the vulnerable—stand with trans kids, immigrants, and people living in poverty.

  
  

• Respect human rights—end racialized policing, stop unlawful detention, protect protest.

  
  

• Steward the future—act on climate, safeguard resources, resist exploitation.

For regular people:

• Pause before you post—choose words that heal, not harm.

  
  

• Look past judgment—imagine it could be you in need (because one day soon, it will be if we don't empathact now).

  
  

• Act small, act real—check on a neighbor, offer a ride, share a meal.

  
  

• Stand together—show up for local schools, rallies, community aid.

  
  

• Protect peace—step in against hate, choose kindness in conflict.

The Sound of Drums

Can you hear it? Drums are sounding across America. Too much violence. Too much hate. Too much exploitation across our nation. If we don’t act in kindness now, the void will be filled with conflict.

So let’s make empathy a verb. Let’s empathact. Let’s turn our compassion into steps that actually change the course we’re on. Whether that’s advocating for policies that protect people, or simply helping a stranger jump-start their car, every small act of empathy is a step toward healing.

Empathy is the cure we’ve been looking for. The only question left is whether we’re brave enough to act now.