Recovering Our Humanity

Our lack of empathy — our inability to recognize and understand the feelings of others — is slowly destroying the humanity that remains in our society. Everything that is happening in the world today has made me realize one painful truth: we have learned very little from our past.

For centuries, human beings have fought for different reasons. Most of these conflicts were born from division — division often encouraged and manipulated by those in power, who planted seeds of fear and hatred to satisfy their own selfish ambitions.

Over time, many powerful groups learned that the easiest way to control people was to separate them.

By nationality.

By race.

By gender.

By religion.

And sadly, the plan worked.

People began to hate and attack each other on their own. Slowly, we stopped thinking critically. We stopped questioning. We stopped listening. And in many ways, we became prisoners of fear and manipulation.

Hatred grew.

Love declined.

Empathy faded.

And those who benefited from this division kept winning.

“The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.” – Maximilien Robespierre

So, what is empathy?

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It is the capacity to place ourselves in someone else’s position and feel, even for a moment, what they might be experiencing. When we lose this ability, we lose something essential.

If we cannot understand another person’s pain, we become indifferent to it. We look away. We stay silent. Or worse — we become capable of causing harm without feeling remorse. Without empathy, compassion disappears. Without compassion, cruelty grows.

And that is when the worst atrocities happen. We destroy our planet. We exploit nature. We kill animals. We poison rivers and oceans. We cut down forests. We harm each other without mercy. All of this is connected to the same root: lack of empathy and lack of love.

“Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.” – Buddha

The way many societies treat refugees and migrants is a painful example of this loss of empathy. Reading comments and opinions online often reveals how dehumanized we have become. We speak about people in need as if they were objects, numbers, or threats — not human beings.

We have become so focused on our own comfort and security that we forget others are suffering. The idea that someone with a different culture, language, or religion might enter “our world” frightens us — even though we do not own this world.

Instead of compassion, fear appears. Instead of solidarity, rejection. And that is why I say we have learned little from history.

If we compare our past with our present, we see the same patterns repeating. Wars, discrimination, suffering, exclusion — again and again. Despite everything humanity has experienced, despite all those who fought for peace, we keep making the same mistakes.

“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana

Is there a way to change this? I believe there is. And the answer is love.

Hate has been planted for generations, but love has never disappeared. It only needs to be nurtured again. It needs to be practiced daily, in small actions, in ordinary moments, in the way we speak, listen, and treat others.

Without love, humanity cannot survive. Without empathy, our future is fragile. We are all human beings. No matter our nationality. No matter our religion. No matter our language, race, or culture. We all share the same basic right: the right to live with dignity and safety.

What happens to others today could happen to us tomorrow. That is why empathy is not weakness. It is wisdom. It is responsibility. It is strength.

Let us restore our humanity. Let us recover our ability to feel with others. Let us choose compassion over indifference. Because a world guided by empathy is a world where peace is possible. And that is a world worth creating.