Can empathy be the cure?

I grew up in a middle class household in Hong Kong. My mother used to teach elementary school kids; many of them were refugees who fled their home country. She would tell me stories about these children and their families, most of them who were left with nothing and living in the slums. We didn’t have much — but we had enough. And my mother would constantly remind me how lucky we were to have food and shelter. 

She would recall her own struggles growing up in a big family in post war Hong Kong, not having enough to eat. At some point in her early childhood, her meal would consist of bread crust, or rice mixed with rock sugar, because my grandparents could not afford a full loaf of bread. 

My mother would also recall how much the Catholic Church had helped her; how they gave them clothes, books, and supplies for school. She told me how she was offered a scholarship to go to college, but my grandmother turned it down because she needed my mother to work, so that her two younger siblings, my aunt and my uncle, could attend college in the U.S.

My parents have always instilled in me the importance of empathy and compassion, especially towards those who are less fortunate. Grateful for how the Church had helped my mother in moments of need, we always try to pay it back to the society by paying forward, donating to charities and supporting causes that help lift up those in need.

Because at the end of the day, that’s what being a community is about. 

Shared prosperity.

I believe in karma. And I believe there is more to life than the mere pursuit of dollars and cents. 

Building wealth is more than just accumulating assets; it is also creating and maintaining the social bond.  Caring and being there for each other, is what makes us uniquely human.

My mother’s story and the sacrifices that she made for her family have also taught me that oftentimes, you don’t always get to choose the path that you want. Family responsibilities dictated my mother’s priorities; instead of pursuing higher education, she became a teacher. A rewarding job that led her to my father. 

And the rest, they say, is history. 

Through my mother’s experience and my upbringing, I am acutely aware of the inequalities that exist in this world, and how one’s fortunes are often driven by things that are out of their control. Increasingly, much of our fate is predetermined by the color of our skin, our gender, our zip code, our abilities, and our social circles. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way. While structural racism and bias might have dictated much of our past, the future is yet to be written, and we all have a role in it.

Inequality is a human-made problem that can be solved by policy changes, private-public partnerships, and our collective commitment to be more thoughtful — a will to change the world for the better. Afterall, everyone deserves a chance to try and succeed, regardless of where they come from, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, education, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

It is not about politics. It is not about handouts or entitlements. It is about recognizing that there are runners on the outside track, who have a longer distance to cover and may need an extra boost — a helping hand. It is about recognizing our own privilege — those on the inside track, who have a shorter distance to travel and can get to the finish line faster. 

It is about decency. 

It is about humanity. 

It is about compassion.

It is about empathy.

Equity is not just about access and opening doors. It is also about recognizing and acknowledging the opportunities and the barriers presented, not only by one’s circumstances, but by policies and culture.

The onus is on all of us — to challenge the status quo and improve upward mobility, so that children from all walks of life have a fighting chance to become the person they aspire to be. 

We must close the digital divide — as broadband access should not be a privilege in the new digital world. We must do more to support working parents — so that they don’t have to choose between taking care of their kids and keeping them safe, versus putting food on the table. We must do more to reskill and upskill — so that workers don’t get left behind. We must do more to stimulate local economies and create opportunities — so that everyone can benefit from the innovation ecosystem. 

We have the tools at our disposal. Do we have the will to do what is right?

COVID-19 did not create the inequalities that we are witnessing today. It merely exposes it. While there is no cure for the virus, there is a cure for bias — for those who are unemployed and have nowhere to turn to; for those who cannot afford to put food on the table for their families, who face eviction and an uncertain future.

We must do everything we can so that our society can benefit from the entirety of each community — each face, every mind, each family, every story. When history includes the hopes and dreams and aspirations of every one of us. When each soul within it is treated with the same dignity and respect and condition. 

Every word and every act of kindness matters. No action is too small when it comes to creating a more inclusive and equitable future for everyone.

The choice — is yours.