Hannah Dominique

EN 101

Summary/Response Essay

17 November 2020

The Worlds Loss of Empathy

Imagine a world where no one held the door open, where no one picked up the grocery

bill when someone forgot her wallet, or where no one had a shoulder to cry on during a difficult

time. If the world was like this, it would be a world where no one would want to live because it

would be a world without empathy. In Keith O'Brien's essay “The Empathy Deficit,” he

addresses the decrease of empathy in today’s world. While O’Brien describes the decrease in

empathy over the years, O’Brien also correctly affirms that people in today’s society are more

concerned with themselves than others, that a certain amount of narcissism could be good, and

that a world without empathy would be a cruel place to live.

O’Brien makes the claim in his essay “The Empathy Deficit” that over the years, the

amount of empathy people have for others has significantly gone down. In fact, O’Brien’s writes

that “. . . college students today are 40 percent less empathetic than they were in 1979. . . “

(464). This is problematic because, as O’Brien points out, empathy drives people’s daily lives

and pushes them to perform small gestures out of the goodness of their hearts. Without those

small acts of kindness, the world would be a cruel place to live. Part of the reason empathy has

started to decline in today’s society is that there have been several advancements in social media

and technology. These advancements have caused people to disconnect from others. O’Brien

ponders, “Perhaps . . . technology has connected them in one sense, but pushed them away from
each other in another” (467). Individuals are able to see what others are doing daily, but does this

mean they even really care or are concerned with the personal content.

With the ongoing changes in the world, it is evident that people are overly concerned

with themselves instead of being concerned about others. But does this come from the common

pressures that daily life brings? O’Brien says, “ . . . people haven’t changed so much as the

world around us has” (468). With jobs being hard to come by, the anger surrounding politics, and

the economy not knowing which direction to go, people feel powerless to solve their own issues,

let alone big world problems. This is perhaps why “. . . young Americans are just evolving to

focus on what matters most: their own tiny world” (468). However, O’Brien is only partially

correct. The world has changed, but people have only changed because they have had to find

another way to survive. Americans have grown up on the idea that everything is a competition.

From a young age, people are competing, whether it be through school, work, or sports. When

competing to be the best, people have begun to feel burnt out with their own competitions and

have little to no energy to contribute to the overall world.​ Possibly people need to slow down and

not think of everything as a competition.

When trying to survive in today’s world, it is possible a little bit of narcissism could be

beneficial. When people begin turning their focus on what is best for them, it can give

individuals a boost of confidence and the ability to lead others. However, focusing too much on

oneself can cause a pattern of self-absorption. O'Brien believes that “A certain amount of

narcissism is healthy, psychologists point out, helping give people the confidence to compete,

succeed, or lead others. But it can also tip the other way, creating a world of increased

self-absorption” (466). With the world feeling lost during this vulnerable point in time, it is
important to have leaders who have a good balance of not caring what others think, but caring

enough to provide supportive listening and value others feelings.

Caring for others is a major part of people's everyday lives. From a young age,

individuals are taught to share, say please and thank, and apologize when doing wrong. If

empathy were to completely disappear, there would no longer be those small, kind gestures

completed by others that are often contagious and can help make people’s days better. “A world

without empathy, they say, is a world we wouldn’t want to live in” (O’Brien 465). Today’s

world is in great need of empathy from others. Everyone needs someone to provide support or

encouragement during a difficult situation, such as when a loved one passes away or when going

through a 14-day quarantine. Even the simplest question of, “How are you?” is needed more now

than ever.

The fact that the amount of empathy people have for each other is decreasing rapidly in

today’s world is undeniable. With individuals becoming more conceited and narcissistic, the lack

of empathy is creating an unhappy environment. There is hope that people will start to realize the

importance of finding a balance between using a small amount of narcissism for confidence and

spreading kindness such as a smile which can go a long way to better this world.
 Works Cited

O’Brien, Keith. “Empathy Deficit.” ​Acting Out Culture: Readings for Critical Inquiry​, James S.

Miller, 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Marin’s, 2015, pp. 464-468.