Roots of Empathy

After James Holmes went on a shooting spree in a Colorado theater showing the Batman movie Dark Knight, Peter Bogdanovich, an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic, told The Hollywood Reporter magazine, “Today, there's a general numbing of the audience. There's too much murder and killing. You make people insensitive by showing it all the time. The body count in pictures is huge. It numbs the audience into thinking it's not so terrible. Back in the '70s, I asked Orson Welles what he thought was happening to pictures, and he said, "We're brutalizing the audience. We're going to end up like the Roman circus, live at the Coliseum." The respect for human life seems to be eroding.” Yes, cultural conditioning. Audiences are being conditioned to accept murder and violence as a form of entertainment. Violence is in the news every day. Respect for human life seems to be a thing of the past. What to do about it? One woman has an answer. Mary Gordon is the Founder/President of Roots of Empathy which is an organization whose mission is to build caring, peaceful, and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults.

Roots of Empathy's goals are:

• To foster the development of empathuy
• To develop emotional literacy
• To reduce levels of bulling, aggression and violence, and promote children's pro-social behaviors
• Ro increase knowledge of human development, learning, and infant safety
• To prepare students for responsible citizenship and responsive parenting

Roots of Empathy's program is successful. In 2001, the Government of Manitoba commissioned a three-year follow-up study of Roots of Empathy, measuring pro-social behavior, physical aggression, and indirect aggression. Results show a significant improvement in all three behaviors.

Roots of Empathy is an international organization based in Canada. The program has crossed the border to Seattle, Washington. Maybe its time to make more people aware of this program and expand it throughout the United States. If Roots of Empathy was taught everywhere in the world there would be no war or bullies. Everyone would be able to respect and understand their own feelings and also other people’s feelings. Roots of Empathy would be able to change the world making peace and there would be no harm. I think that it could change the world forever.” - a Sixth Grader.

 For more information about this program, or to make a donation please visit rootsofempathy.org