Empathy shouldn't be the only "leg" that governmental or company policies stand on, but it certainly deserves a seat at the table.

Not a bug - but something that can bring out our best.

Especially at work, this can be difficult for managers and coworkers to navigate.  Which leads them to avoid conversations about disruptive life events entirely.

Try utilizing this helpful question -"What is a good next step for you right now?"

This question can move someone into their generative mind:  yes, these things have happened to me and they are crappy...but what is within my power?

It also keeps you (the listener) from slipping into the Fix-It Frank empathy avatar - telling the person going through a hard time what they need to do, which can lead to conversational shut-down.

I was reminded, through the eyes and story of Abdurrahman, that some of the best of who we are-and-can-be as people is to be people who are kind, who create opportunities for others, who extend a welcome and reach out with care.

Whether that is to a stranger, to a coworker, or to a person that lives in your home - each movement of kindness matters and helps to co-create communities that we all want to be a part of.

This was the year of the break-up, the death, or the deep loneliness - and today is a reminder of the disruptive life events and the world that is not-how-you-want-it-to-be.

I hope you have some good people around you, ones that can look up from their own plans or chocolates to give you a hug, a coffee, or just a listening ear.

And while we can’t, ultimately, know who we would be until we are in the moment, I know that empathy and kindness and courage don’t emerge from a vacuum. These traits are forged (or not) in a hundred small moments.

Moments where it would be easier to turn away, to just keep going in the other direction or onwards with the task instead of caring for the person.

It's hard to know what you haven't been taught.
Most of us didn't receive any purposeful instruction on how to be empathetic and connect with others.  We seldom teach it in our MBA programs or our onboarding.  

And yet, we need our leaders, managers, and team members to operate in this skillset again and again.

Maybe solstice is the invitation you need – if you don’t feel abundant or generous - if this year was hard and cold and only looks to be more of the same. 

The end of the year is a naturally reflective time where we set revenue goals and resolutions.  For forward-thinking companies, it is also a time both to celebrate and to mark loss.

At it's heart - empathy demands that we value people enough to sit with the gravity/impact of their stories/perspectives - to be affected.

Violence is awful, reforms are necessary when systems repeatedly fail people.

And there is definitely room for reform + increased empathy within these systems.

Holidays can be hard: instead of being marked by Hallmark charm/glowing gratitude, they can be an aching reminder of pain.

You can choose to spend a lot of time and energy in judgment/annoyance - or you can engage your curiosity and wonder

The reality is, in the working world, you are (probably) going to have to continue to be in contact with people who vote differently than you do. 

And, I get it, you might be so emotionally flooded right now that curiosity and relationship seem out of reach.  However, I encourage you not to burn bridges.  The way that people change their minds is through relationships with real people who think differently than they do.