What do you think improves a persons view of the world? What increases empathy and understanding for others?

Answer 1

View the world as It is, not how you "think" It should be. Same with others, view them without the judgments of the mind. "What IS", is always just that. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, are of no relevence to "What IS". Peace and Blessings!!!!

Answer 2

Go out and work amongst the poor, I don't mean the sort of people who live on a grotty council estate, I mean the real poor who have next to nothing like those in the townships around the big cities in Africa. You'll soon learn about life and develop a very 'improved' view of the world. You will also learn a lot about empathy and understanding for others, but most importantly you will start to understand yourself!!!!!!!!

Answer 3

Personal experience both improves a person's view of the world and increases empathy and understanding for others. If you have not experienced anything all you would have to offer to a person who is suffering is "Man that's tough." You would also have seen absolutely nothing of the world because you have not experienced anything in it.

Answer 4

The only improvement in a persons view of the world would be to align his view with what is actually here now. One cannot empathize with others until one recognizes the sameness of the other. Recognizing yourself in others is increased by your own personal suffering which erodes the ego which allows pure awareness to shine through into the world. If you are asking the question for yourself, paying attention to everything in the present moment (without labeling it) as often as you remember is a start. If you are asking in order to help another, be there for that person and don't judge, just listen. Redirecting the focus on the person, not others, as often as necessary. People show a hard uncaring face to the world in order to cover up and hide from their own pain. When we allow ourselves to feel and move through the complete experience of our pain we are released from having it come back again and we learn empathy. We cannot force others to grow we can only be there for them if they need us.

Answer 5

Living and/or working in a situation with all sorts of people from all over the world, as I did in the SF bay area. I loved it. Often witnessing or undergoing experiences similar to others helps one to increase empathy and understanding. While like others I have suffered losses, I am not sleeping at a mission, living on the streets in a cardboard box, camped under a freeway overpass, or being blown up in Iraq. No one should be forgotten or shunned merely due to their staton in life. A question like yours helps me to remember this.Thank you.

Answer 6

To be honest, I don't know, because I think I was born with empathy towards others. My father, who was an Anglican priest once said that I was colour-blind from birth (He meant that as a child I didn't react negatively or positively to people who's skin was not the same colour as mine). I have always assessed people independently, without regard to race, colour, ethnicity or religion.
Later in life, my father also called me a communist. Then, I said that I was never a communist, but that I was a socialist. I then asked him who the first socialist was. He just looked at me, but he knew I meant Jesus. My father was a man who never said he was a Christian. He said that everyday he tried to be a Christian. Maybe I just took on board what he said without understanding his personal caveats.

Answer 7

I think that many things affect a persons view of the world. Have you ever seen a suicide attempt in the movies like Forrest Gump? If you saw Jenny's face right before you could see how much her view of the world changed in that instent. Another thing that affects views is what church you go to or your friends or your family.

Answer 8

The answer would be as opposed to what restricts a people’s view of the world, their ability to empathize with other people and their openness to understanding? I think it is common tendency to in human nature to generalize the stereotype. We very quickly learn to wear glasses made out of our limited personal experiences. And when learn through pain and discomfort we learn fast and hard; our unpleasant experiences might be only fleeting and momentary at times but they tend to liger long in our mind, influencing our views and expectations long afterward, especially when they are no longer a part of our active memory. We could change what we learn if we find opportunities to relearn; if we find that we can safely interact, relive and experiment in life to draw new results. If for instance, we just learn to listen to what others say without having to be judgmental - as we often are in our normal life where we need to form quick opinions about others and understand people for our practical purposes - or without having to believe in what is being said, we might find moments of empowerment afterwards. It is in such moments of free and pressure free leisure that understanding takes place most naturally. For instance, I read what other people write here that sometimes I agree with, and sometimes I do not, but I have an opportunity to not get involved regardless of my personal views and even values, and also an opportunity to leaves if I like to. I have opportunity to stay impersonal and anonymous and thus allowing my mind to operate far more freely and openly without my inhibitions and limitations come in the way and spoiling my relations with others. There should be more forums of public debate like this, or people should come here more often for the purposes you have so adequately highlighted.

Answer 9

That there is more to life than ourselves. What increases empathy and understanding for others is the fact that if we don't do repent to God, we're all going to hell. I don't know about you,but that makes me a little concerned.

Answer 10

1 Asking a serious question on here and not getting a single nasty or stupid answer proves the Bad guys are still in the Minority, so the world can't be all bad!
2 Working with the Elderly and Disabled and losing my child and most of my older generation family members makes me far more empathic than I was 20 years ago!