Defining Wholistic Empathy
A Way of Being for a Better World
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Project Description 

This is a project website for developing Edwin's Wholistic Empathy Definition Model. We are just starting on this project and use this website to organize the project. 

Introduction

Over the past 15 years I have come to recognize that mutual empathy is a fundamental human quality and value. It has the power to address many of the personal, social, cultural, and political challenges facing our world today and create greater wellbeing for all. It's many, benefits include; an effective way of knowing, fostering more emotionally grounded and healthy individuals, having better relationships, improves communication, increased cooperation and team work, enhances leadership skills, essential ingredient for effective conflict resolution, is needed for improved problem-solving, creativity and innovation, etc.

By Empathy, I basically mean a whole-body listening—deeply sensing into, understanding, and connecting with each other's experiences. This leads to a recognition of our shared humanity. (At a deeper level it is how we sense into life.)

I believe we must build the movement to elevate empathy in society. This is to foster mutual empathy as a core cultural value. By cultivating empathy on a societal level, we lay the foundation for deeper understanding, cooperation, and collective well-being. The first step in solving the world’s problems is to truly listen to and understand one another.

Empathy Definition Confusion
A major obstacle to developing an Empathy Movement is the widespread confusion about what empathy actually means. People are constantly talking past one another because they mean different things when they use the word empathy. This lack of clarity hinders our ability to advance the cause. To address this, we must establish clear and precise definitions.

Through this project, we aim to develop the Wholistic Empathy Definition Model, which will bring greater clarity to the concept of empathy and support the growth of the Empathy Movement.

What Makes The Wholistic Empathy Model Unique?

This model has several aspects that make it unique from other current definition models. This model...

1. 1. 1. Moves from an Individualistic to Wholistic Perspective   
         This model moves beyond the narrow, individualistic view of empathy and embraces a relational, mutual, and wholistic understanding. Most existing definitions treat empathy as a personal trait, overlooking its deeply interactive and shared nature. By shifting the focus to relationships and interconnectedness, this model offers a more accurate and comprehensive framework. 

      2. Moves From Abstract Concepts to Personal Experience
         Unlike traditional definitions that describe empathy in abstract terms, this model grounds it in lived experience through the Empathy Circle practice. By mapping empathy onto a structured, interactive process, we create a tangible and experiential foundation for understanding it on a deep emotional level. Furthermore, this model allows for the integration of various definitions, critiques, and perspectives on empathy, offering a more inclusive and dynamic approach. 

      3. Eliminates the Reason vs. Feeling Dichotomy
         We removes the emotion (feeling) and rational thought (reason) often used to define empathy. The idea that thinking and feeling—head and heart, cognitive and affective—are separate is misleading. In reality, cognition and emotion are deeply interconnected, continuously influencing and shaping each other. They are two sides of the same coin.  Recognizing this interplay leads to a more accurate and nuanced understanding of empathy.

      4. Creates an Integrative and Inclusive Approach
         The Wholistic Empathy Model brings together diverse definitions of empathy into a unified framework. It examines how various interpretations align with or diverge from this model, clarifying their relevance and limitations. This integrative approach ensures a more complete and functional understanding of empathy, adaptable across different contexts and perspectives.  

      5. Is a Practical and Useable Application 
         The Wholistic Empathy Model has a practical application. It is defined in the context of the Empathy Circle which is a foundational empathy building practice. You will be able to use the Empathy Circle practice to not only experience empathy but use it in practical ways for personal growth and improved relationships. 

Project Methodology

This definition project is unique in that we use a highly empathic approach to work on exploring and articulating the definitions. We use the Empathy Circle practice to discuss the definitions issues.  We are also mapping the definition to the experience of the Empathy Circle.  This allows people to experience the definition aspects by taking part in an Empathy Circle.