Fear Itself

Empathy Power Up

Today we tackle the number one strategy that our culture uses to disconnect ourselves from ourselves and others: fear. It strips us of our power and ability to be seen, heard, and loved, while making us afraid of the humans around us.

Fear as a physical and survival response. It lessens our ability to bounce back after we experience a setback and keeps us perpetually in a place of reacting to what’s around us. Because we fear the unknown, we are afraid to take action and don’t know how to be with each other.

The antidote to fear is to connect and share with other humans–to step out of isolation, out of fear and into the light. It may be one of the hardest emotions to overcome but is so worth it. Cultivating a love for each other and humanity is central to creating a more compassionate world. When we choose love over fear we begin to see that we’re more alike than we are different. We begin to trust again and begin to take back control, being actors in our life instead of reacting in fear.

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Note: Fear is the foundational characteristic outlined in Tema Okun’s Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture.

Amy J. Wilson designs worlds where every person gets what they need, the power to achieve what they want, and the agency to do what they love. For nearly 20 years Amy has put empathy into action: she has built cultures that hold change so that organizations and the people within it can thrive. She has challenged the status quo and redesigned systems centered on compassion and equity at more than a dozen organizations and can both set and implement the vision. She is the bestselling author of Empathy for Change: How to Build a More Understanding World: https://www.amazon.com/Empathy-Change-Create-Understanding-World, a guide to create positive transformation where we work, live, and play. Grab a copy anywhere books are sold or the audiobook on Audible.

Kevin A.K.A Captain Empathy is the Founder and CEO of Jaago (means to wake-up in Hindi). Jaago’s vision is to create a world where people seek to understand one another by making empathy a daily habit. He is a tech leader and IOT (Internet of Things) pioneer and expert. He brings practical experience, lived experience, and his transparent growth journey to the podcast.

Follow:

• Kevin at @shahkevin or https://linktr.ee/shahkevin
• Amy at @realamyjwilson or Linktree: https://linktr.ee/empathyinaction