In my last blog, we explored how wealth creates a gap in compassion between us and people who have less than we do. Now we will explore practices that can close that gap.

One aspect of closing the gap is to be aware of the scope of the problem. We can explore the scope by delving into statistics like the average age of a person who is homeless is 11 years old. Yes, that is correct, 11. That means that there are a lot more homeless kids than you usually picture. We don’t see them panhandling so we figure it is mostly adults. Statistics like this can help us get a better and broader perspective on who and how many people are impacted by different issues. However, as the evil dictator Joseph Stalin supposedly said, “One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.” In other words, large numbers numb us to the reality of what is happening. On the other hand, a single story can help us break the barrier blocking our empathy.

That brings me to the next step. Read, listen to, and explore stories. For example, in our recent book club on Following Jesus in a Warming World, the author shared a story of a family’s plight during Hurricane Katrina. The flooding in New Orleans forced the family up onto the top of their house after barely cutting through their roof in time to avoid drowning in their attic. Then the matriarch of the family was almost washed away. The family scrambled to save her but, in that effort, they lost track of a young girl in the family and she was washed away and died. Then later the matriarch died of sickness related to being cold and wet for so long. So, it was this terrible double tragedy. The book related the storm to the strengthening of storms connected to climate change. The story really stuck with me because I have two little girls and to imagine one of them being swept away into the stormwater pulls hard on my heart. I can feel just a little of the pain experienced by that family and it increases my love and compassion for them and for others who might suffer like them. This example brings home the power of stories. There are lots of sources of stories out there from books to videos and more. Real stories hit harder than fiction because people actually lived them.

However, there is another way that can augment hearing real stories. Putting ourselves into fictional stories and exploring what choices we would make is another way to develop empathy for others. I want to highlight two examples of fictional stories you can experience: CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience[1] and SPENT[2].

CHANGE is a video game where you play as a homeless person similar to a SIMS video game. You lose your job and find yourself on the street. You need to figure out how to survive by staying in a shelter or on the street. By buying or stealing food. Working as a day laborer, picking up trash, or begging. You have a hygiene, happiness, and food meter. You need to get a job and save enough money to escape. However, you also deal with challenges like addiction to cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs. You can be moved along by the police. People jeer you on the street and you lose happiness. You don’t get a good night’s sleep because of violence and disruption in the shelter, or arriving too late to get in. You face the cold of winter and the dreariness of rain. The game is based on research and what real people experience. It truly brought the struggle of homelessness home for me. It took me a few runs to make it out. Like in life, I made decisions but didn’t fully consider the consequences of my choices. The experience of playing this game helped me to relate a lot more with the situation people face on the street. Sure, it was fake but, in the game, I dealt with the consequences of my decisions and the systems I had to work with to try and get free. It was hard! I got addicted. I got on a downward spiral I couldn’t get out of. I encourage you to give it a try. The game can be found on STEAM for $18.99 and I know that might be a barrier to some people. However, SPENT is a free simulator. You are a low-income person trying to have enough money to make it through the month. You make a decision each day to try and get through just one month. It is much more simplified than CHANGE but also impactful. It highlights the challenge of people struggling with poverty. I recommend you check out one or both.

Educating ourselves about the realities that other people face by reading books and articles is important. When coupled with exploring stories and experiences that help you relate to the personal struggles of people it can create a powerful recipe for building empathy. I encourage you to pick one thing and read it or play it.

God knows all things. He knows the struggles of other people. He knows the causes and what they are experiencing. God’s awareness of our pain led God to come down and suffer with people and ultimately die for us. Hopefully, our empathy will encourage us to be like the God we serve. Yet there are more obstacles to growing empathy and we will explore that in the next blog.