My score was 85, making me Empathetic. I feel like I tend to have a lot of empathy for other
people, as I like to understand how other people's perspectives can shape their actions and views.
The article, Why is empathy crucial for bridging social divides?, proposes that communities are
divided by many factors that can result in bias, misunderstanding, and conflict. Empathy
basically acts as a bridge between this divide, allowing people from two different communities to
have a shared understanding about something. I agree with this. In the real world, many people
from different backgrounds across the world can empathize with each other as they have a part of
their identity they may share that bridges across geographical or ethnic lines. The article, How to
connect and find common ground in any situation, proposes many ways of empathizing with
people you have little in common with, or may even be ideologically opposed to. For me, I
usually at least try to understand the views of other people and how they came to feel that way,
but understanding does not always mean empathy. For those you find morally/ethically wrong, it
can be difficult to empathize even if you understand their situation. My score was only
Empathetic, and not Extremely Empathetic, primarily because of this. I can empathize with other
people, even people I don’t see eye to eye with most of the time. But when I find a person
morally reprehensible, I find it increasingly difficult, depending on the person, maybe
impossible, to truly empathize. But being able to empathize with others is essential to bridging
gaps in understanding and avoiding conflict. Empathy is a powerful emotion that can bring
ideologically opposed parties to work together and find solutions to their conflict with each
other. But it should also be used wisely.