Imagination and Curiosity

Imagination and curiosity are key to cultivating empathy...

Magnus, my fifth grader, was in tears. He just returned to school after a COVID quarantine. On his way to Chess Club, another boy mocked him. “Disgusting! I don’t want to play with you. You’re the COVID kid!”

I was so angry. After two weeks of pain in his body and isolation in his home, now my child had to face this flippant bully…who mocked him in front of a whole crowd?!?!

As my emotions simmered down, I considered the recent articles on discriminatory attacks towards Asian Americans. If I felt this sense of frustration towards one kid on one Tuesday afternoon, what would it be like for me or my children to be targeted, to be isolated, again and again in the public sphere with aggressive language, violence and blame?

Empathy recognizes our common humanity and moves us towards meaningful action.

Here are some suggestions for cultivating curiosity and imagination…

1) Read more fiction featuring non-majority voices.
2) Ask phrases like “why” and “could there be more to this story”
3) After you experience a strong emotion, ponder who else in your life could be feeling those emotions and why.
4) Pause while reading a book or watching a show to ask, “What is this character feeling?”