I have much energy to put towards empathic studies and implementation.Mark Roberts541-689-7798

I believe that teaching people empathy skills is the most important thing we can do to further Secretary of State (to-be) Hillary Clinton's new approach to diplomacy -- developing partnerships rather than the cowboy diplomacy of the Bush regime.

I am excited about this proposal, and the possibilities for our world if more people learn about empathic presence. 

Curriculum in compassionate dialogue and empathy in the schools is creating a new generation of leaders and peace keepers with the much needed emotional intelligence in communication. This proposal addresses that need in all government functions.

The process of empathic connection has created peace in many of the most toubled parts of the world.

I support and endorse this proposal for empathy education and implementation. Partnerships can be created and we would have the potential to see all people as human beings instead of enemies.

This idea for change will truly create a type of government, and also climate in our nation, that can lead to true understanding of "the other" through empathy.  We know that "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"!

I totally support this idea which is so vital if people of all parties and beliefs can find it within them to support the change needed i our country

This idea may provide the mutual support we can all use in bringing our hearts calling out in the world.  It may also build understanding which I certainly appreciate when collaborating with others.

I believe empathy has the power to bring about the changes we wish to see in our country.  Embracing each other's differences and holding them sacred is key to development of true love for each other and non-violent communciation.  I visualize a country where we look to lift up each other rather than rise by pushing others down.

This work will change the paradigm of how we perceive each others and our own actions. Empathy for ourselves and others will create a country of trust, cooperation, compassion and respect.

I totally support "Bridging the Empathy Gap - Yes We Can!"  My support comes from having been the recepient of empathy on many occasions as well as having supported others with empathy.  It is empowering to connect with the life-force within me which craves acknowledgment and some form of action.  Through empathy I can make this connection and trust that those in government can benefit from this same connection.

As a certfiied trainer for the Center for Nonviolent Communication, I feel inspired about Obama's words on empathy; they meet my needs for hope about increasing connection and peace on this precious planet.

I have experienced the power of empathy as described and shared through Nonviolent Communication (sm) and truly believe that we must separate from each other and label and demonize in order to be violent.  It is very difficult for me to be violent when I stay connected with myself and others at the heart.  I beleive this is the kind of change we need in the world to reconnect with our interdependence, our hearts and our souls.  Meets my needs for hope.

I can see empathy healing global power struggles and hurts that we have caused through our bullying.

Blessing

I feel that learning and utilizing empathy skills is the critical foundation of how we can all live and thrive together with clarity, harmony and fulfillment. Empathy skills can be learned and extensively refined and paves the way to practical conscious love for one another.  I specifically study Marshal Rosenberg's nonviolent communication techniques which have been used world wide in diffusing conflict. 

Communication and empathy skills are crucial to creating the vital foundation we all need to live in peace and harmony.  To me it is foundational and can be used in nearly every situation.  It creates effiency as well.  We would be smart and would feel fulfilled to implement such a useful foundational technique into our goverment.  We also would benefit from the mindset of this as our value, infact it is the way to create Homeland security!  is through empathy.   "What the world needs now is love sweet love!"  or "There is no way to peace, peace is the way!"  Let's put our heads  and resources together to be as smart as we can in utilizing and learning empathy skills. We can do it and be good at it!      GO USA!!!

TO VOTE direct link: http://www.change.org/ideas/vote_for_idea?idea_id=6207

Or click on the number of voters at the top.

I was so thrilled to see this proposal and imagine the inspiring change it could bring to the US and the world. Yeah!

One of the 'tipping points' for me actually getting a bit excited about Obama (rather than simply supporting him as the least bad option, the way i usually feel about elections), was an interview he gave at Google. Eric Shmidt asked him about race, and he acknowledged it as America's issue for the 20th century. Then he went on to suggest that in the 21st century, the issue has broadened to include many ways we see people as "other," whether based on age, language, gender, class, religion, ability, etc. Maybe people of different parties, and of no party, could even come to have more understanding for one another!

Weaving empathy into the fabric of government is one powerful way to address this, which is why i support this proposal.

As mentioned above, Obama has talked about empathy many times. For a list of references (with video and transcripts for many), see http://progressivespirit.com/empathy/

Here's what Obama has written regarding the nature and importance of empathy:

So this, below, is from page 66-69 of the book “Audacity of Hope,” by Barack Obama "...we long for that most elusive quality in our leaders -- the quality of authenticity, of being who you say you are, of possessing a truthfulness that goes beyond words. My friend the late US Senator Paul Simon had that quality.For most of his career, he baffled pundits by garnering support from peoplewho disagreed, sometimes vigorously, with his liberal politics. It helped thathe looked so trustworthy, like a small town doctor, with his glasses and bow tie and basset-hound face. But people also sensed that he lived out his values; that he was honest, and that he stood up for what he believed in, and perhaps most of all that he cared about them and what they were going through.That last aspect of Paul's character--a sense of empathy---is one that Ifind myself appreciating more and more as I get older. It is at the heart of my moral code, and it is how I understand the Golden Rule---not simply as a call to sympathy or charity, but as something more demanding, a call to stand in somebody else's shoes and see through their eyes.Like most of my values, I learned about empathy from my mother. She disdained any kind of cruelty or thoughtlessness or abuse of power, whether it expresses itself in the form of racial prejudice or bullying in the schoolyard or workers being underpaid. Whenever she saw even a hint of such behavior in me she would look me square in the eyes and ask, "How do you think that would make you feel?"But it was in the relationship with my grandfather that I think I firstinternalized the full meaning of empathy. Because my mother's work took her overseas, I often lived with my grandparents during my high school years, and without a father present in the house, my grandfather bore the brunt of most of my adolescent rebellion. He himself was not always easy to get along with; he was at once warmhearted and quick to anger, and in part his career had not been particularly successful, his feelings could also be easily bruised. By the time I was sixteen we were arguing all of the time, usually about me failing to abide by what I considered to be an endless series of petty and arbitrary rules--filling up the gas tank whenever I borrowed his car, say, or making sure that I rinsed out the milk carton before I put it in the garbage.With a certain talent for rhetoric, as well as an absolute certainty about themerits of my own views, I found that I could generally win these arguments, in the narrow sense of leaving my grandfather flustered, angry, and sounding unreasonable. But at the same point, perhaps in my senior year, such victories started to feel less satisfying. I started thinking about the struggles and disappointments he had seen in his life. I started to appreciate his need to feel respected in his own home. I realized that abiding by his rules would cost me little, but to him it would mean a lot. I recognized that sometimes he really did have a point, and that in insisting on getting my own way all the time, without regard to his feelings or needs, I was in some way diminishing myself.There's nothing extraordinary about such an awakening, of course' in one form or another it is what we all must go through if we are to grow up. And yet I find myself returning again and again to my mother's simple principle--"How would that make you feel?"-- as a guidepost for my politics.It's not a question we ask ourselves enough, I think; as a country we seem to be suffering from an empathy deficit. We wouldn't tolerate schools that don't teach, that are chronically under funded and understaffed and underinspired, if we thought that the children in them were like our children. It's hare to imagine the CEO of a company giving himself a multimillion dollar bonus while cutting health-care coverage for his workers if he thought they were in some sense his equals. And it's safe to assume that those in power would think longer and harder about launching a war if they envisioned their own sons and daughters in harm's way.I believe a stronger sense of empathy would tilt the balance of our currentpolitics in favor of those people who are struggling in this society. Afterall, if they are like us, then their struggles are our own. If we fail to help, we diminish ourselves. But that does not mean that those who are struggling--are thereby freed from trying to understand the perspectives of those who are better off. Black leaders need to appreciate the legitimate fears that may cause some whites to resist affirmative action. Union representatives can't afford not to understand the competitive pressures their employers may be under. I am obligated to try to see the world through George Bush's eyes, no matter how much I may disagree with him. That's what empathy does--it calls us all to task, the conservative and the liberal, the powerful and the powerless, the oppressed and the oppressor. We are all shaken out of our complacency. We are all forced beyond our limited vision.No one is exempt from the call to find common ground.
Of course, in the end a sense of mutual understanding isn't enough. Afterall, talk is cheap; like any value, empathy must be acted upon. When I was a community organizer back in the eighties, I would often challenge neighborhood leaders by asking them where they put their time, energy, and money. Those are the true tests of what we value, I'd tell them, regardless of what we like to tell ourselves. If we aren't willing to pay a price for our values, if we aren't willing to make some sacrifices in order to realize them, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all.By these standards at least, it sometimes appears that Americans today value nothing so much as being rich, thin, young, famous, safe and entertained. We say we value the legacy we leave the next generation and then saddle that generation with mountains of debt. We say we believe in equal opportunity but then stand idle while millions of American children languish in poverty. We insist that we value family, but then structure our economy and organize our lives so as to ensure that our families get less and less of our time.And yet a part of us knows better. We hang on to our values, even if theyseem at times tarnished and worn; even if, as a nation and in our own lives, we have betrayed them more often than we care to remember. What else is there to guide us? Those values are our inheritance, what makes us who we are as a people. And although we recognize that they are subject to challenge, can be poked and prodded and debunked and turned inside out by intellectuals and cultural critics, they have proven to be both surprisingly durable and surprisingly constant across classes, and races, and faiths, and generations.We can make claims on their behalf, so long as we understand that our values must be tested against fact and experience, so long as we recall that they demand deeds and not just words.To do otherwise would be to relinquish our best selves."Alex & Meera Censor

Ideas like this make the future look very bright indeed.

Barack, Are you feeling surprised and thrilled to find so many peoplel supporting your enthusiasm for empathy. Do you feel supported?We are a group of people who have discovered the value of empathy in building connection and establishing peace. We are offering you our enthusiastic support.John

I like the direction of this proposal but I think it needs some additional work to help those unfamiliar with the territory gain some grounding. From my perspective, empathetic and non-violent communication should be part of all parts of our society - but we also need to take into account the needs of where people actually are. It may be a bit premature to describe the curriculum and services before taking stock of those needs. Ethnographic and "Grounded Theory" approaches to building curriculum create understanding between teachers and learners and help to generate curriculum that the learners help to build. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grounded_Theory.

I see empathy as a natural human capacity, the best foundation I know for working together to build a world of peace and well being for all. I'm thrilled to imagine my government incorporating empathy as a fundamental operating principle.

Even though there are disagreements over the strategies we will use to solve our current conflicts I am excited and grateful to see empathy emerge as a value shared by so many people. I'm guessing (and hoping) that those who hold empathy, truely
effective, nonviolent conflict resoulition and world community as values can contribute to lasting peace - a peace where every voice at the table is heard and all the needs, of every world citizen, are held as equally important. Our full agreement, over strategies, can wait - empathy can't.

see Barack talking about empathy in about 40 speeches, etc,
Barack Obama and the New Spirit of Empathy
http://progressivespirit.com/Empathy/

Empathy is a key that can open doors to so many other changes.  Let's use it for all it is worth!

The one step before any significant change. Connection, connection, connection ! Love, trust and joy from Paris.

If there is any one change in the way we conduct relationships that will herald in a safer, more rewarding world, it is the move to empathy. As a certfiied trainer of the Center for Nonviolent Communication (www.cnvc.org), I have experienced the joy and security that empathy has brought to my life and the lives hundreds who have attended my trainings. 

 I am feeling very excited regarding this proposal. It meets my needs for caring, openess, and so many other things. My hope is that it will be included in the new Administation.

Gandhi said: "Be the change we wish to see in the world."
YES we can! YES we are!

Barack,
   I'm guessing that at times you are feeling overwhelmed with the task at hand. Many people share your need to change the way our government interacts with itself and others; look at this list of people and know that we are a community that shares these values. Use this resource....Jeff

I support the idea that all American leaders study the Marshal Rosenberg's nonviolent communication techniques which have been used world wide in diffusing conflict. 

Barak
Here is a 'special interest group' whose only request is the opportunity to contribute to facilitating the changes you envision with the 'grease' of empathy, compassion & understanding. Don't hesitate to call on this 'army armed with empathy' who have skills in conflict resolution, mediation and recognizing that deep down we all have similar values, sometimes clothed in different costumes!
Congratulations from Canada!
Mary Ellen McNaughton

To really connect with another can melt hostility.  Empathy enriches the giver as much as the receiver. 

Thanks to all whose attention to this campaign has resulted in making this a viable recommendation to the incoming administration.  This will make a world of difference in replacing the Culture of Violence with a Culture of Peace!  Please also see the Idea at the link below which I've just posted.  I think you'll like it!

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/voting_with_dollars_-_reform_the_irs

I believe that unless one can have an empathic understanding of another person or culture or religion, it is impossible to develop change that will benefit all.  Also, the likelihood of getting your point across to others is directly proportional to the level of which they feel understood.

We have to disown and reject the notion that in just about every dispute or disagreement, our side is pure good and the other side is pure evil. A view that totally characterized the Bush Administration.

We live a fascinating time of changes and shifts. A move to a more empathetic society -and diplomacy- can be a REAL option. I am glad so many people stand up for this.

We live a fascinating time of changes and shifts. A move to a more empathetic society -and diplomacy- can be a REAL option. I am glad so many people stand up for this.

I would like to see empathically-based integrity and honesty to become the foundations of all the states in the world, therefore I am supporting this initiative specifically regarding the US government, but as it directly affects my work and life the government of Poland, the European Union and the United Nations.
Monika Dziegielewska-GeitzLodz, Poland

Fantastic! This is an idea whose time has come. Learning to be truly empathic toward yourself and others, and bringing this skill to our families, friends, communities,government and the world, will contribute immensely to developing fulfilling, supportive relationships as well as peace on Earth. If you support this idea, vote for it here AND, please, forward the Bridging the Empathy Gap plan described above and the change. org link to everyone on your email list. Together, we CAN do it!

If there was ever a time, and an administration, where the concept of "empathy" might gain a foothold, this is it! I am open to learning, growing, and receiving and sharing as much empathy as is humanly possible, whether at work, at play, or in transition. Yes we CAN!!!

Empathic communication style allows,disarms,  heals or supplants with hope the personal/public rage that fuels bitter conflict.  This rage makes difficult or sometimes impossible, peaceful and progressive problem solving  when conflicted parties come to negotiate.  Once true listening and speaking begin, there dawns the possibility to come to effective resolution of conflict. For any who are not familiar: check Rosenberg's book "Non-Violent Communication". You will find there impressive use of empathy in talks with groups in the Gaza Strip, in Bosnia, with police and gangs. This is the foundation upon which all causes and problems could move forward, no matter what the subject or the participants. No problem is too difficult for empathic communication. Please build this foundation in our diplomats, our officials, our people so we can move forward in any area that calls for resolution.  Thankyou!

Yes, Conflict Resolution skills are never out of date.  I am glad they are being taught again.  And now, to perhaps be officially used in the White House?!    TOO COOL!     YES!    This is indeed a new world we are creating daily!     In gratitude and light, I am smiling!

Highly effective in schools, the work place, in family life...

Let's help bring NVC, one of the most helpful and powerful communication tools of our times (currently utilized by UN officials), to our governing body at large.

Looking forward to clear, thoughtful, mutually considerate and cooperative communication!

I am convinced that our greatest security lies, not in defeating our "enemies," but in transforming them into our friends.  Remember the parable about the wind and the sun who competed to see who could get the traveler to take off his coat?  Convinced of his superior strength, the wind blew and blew, so the man only held his coat tighter.  In contrast, the sun beamed upon the traveler, sending warmth and light, so the man cheerfully removed his coat.   Like the warmth of the sun, empathy can transform anger and resistance, helping all to find common ground.  Creating an Empathy Corp and training government officials in the skills of empathy has, I believe, the power to change the world.  Isn't it worth a try?  

The Last thing Aldoux Huxley was supposed to have said befor he died was: All that we have to do is to learn to be a little kinder to one another... Empathy is the way to relive the pain of this world.

As Relational-Cultural psychology emphasizes, empathy is key to living a rich life of continuous learning from our fellow humans. This has become critical if we are to survive in the groups that matter most to us and collectively as inhabitants of planet Earth. To do this, we need to recognize that we are now all connected in this global world. Empathy is based on and underlines connection between people.

"Mutual empathy and mutual empowerment are at the core of growth–enchancing relationships. Empathy involves a motivational component (the desire to know the other), a perceptual component (the ability to perceive verbal and non-verbal signals), an affective component (the capacity to resonate with another person’s feelings), and a cognitive component (the ability to make sense of this joining resonance)." (Miller, Stiver, Jordan, & Surrey, 1998, p. 263)

We need to learn how to empathize with people who are significantly different from us and welcome such opportunities for our own empowerment as well as theirs. An Empathy Corp can begin a process of developing these skills that will become postively emotionally contagious.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a well-proven approach to this type of learning. It can make a huge contribution starting with creating peace within each of us that can radiate to others around us in all our encounters, personal and professional. The attitudes and actions of government officials affect so many people, they are particularly well positioned to have an impact that will spread.

If we have the skill to feel empathy, we no longer have the desire to accept fearful dogma that perpetuates the belief that it is okay to kill another human.  Non-violent communication improves all relationships.

Lia Schofield