One of the nice things I’m involved in is helping put together the Greenbelt talks programme, which means I’m always on the look out for good thinkers with good things to say.
Last year I came across an organisation called The School of Life, which aims to help people engage in practical philosophy and playful thinking to improve their lives in the areas of family, work, play, politics and love.
It was through the School that I came across Roman Krznaric. Roman is an expert on empathy and spoke beautifully at Greenbelt [download talk here] about how a life lived more empathetically will effect radical social change. He has advised governments, charities and community organisations on how they can develop empathetically.
Roman’s book on empathy will be out shortly, but he has just started a blog called Outrospection around the issues of living empathetically and bringing about radical social change. As he notes in the first post:
I believe that empathy can help us escape from the narrow confines of our own existence and guide us towards more adventurous and fulfilling lives. Empathy is also a radical tool for social transformation that has the potential to bring about change not through new laws, policies or institutions, but through a revolution of human relationships. Barack Obama has said the most fundamental problem in modern society is ‘the empathy deficit’. Harnessing the transformative power of empathy is the great challenge of the twenty-first century.
With stories and practical guidance, this is going to be a very welcome addition to my reader, and I’d encourage you to grab a feed too.