Passion & Purpose in pursuit of Empathy

This year’s Empathy Week's cinematic premiere centered on five beautiful human stories which brought the theme of passion and purpose to life. This is a theme not only pertinent to children but to all of our lives. There are hundreds of articles and reports being written about the importance of practicing empathy as leaders, teachers and parents. The Empathy Week work spearheaded by founder Ed Kirwan focuses on bringing this skill into schools and the workplace. It is up to us to ignite passion and purpose in our children, to teach empathy and raise the next empathetic generation of leaders.?

I spent hours thinking about how I would honour our young films stars featured in the 2022 Empathy Week premiere launch. I started with Maya Angelou’s quote: “I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it!”?Lipa, James, Dami, Kwasi, and Courtney in sharing their stories show vulnerability and enormous courage. The reaction and feedback from the premiere was extraordinary, immediate empathy. ?

In presenting the opening address to our audience, I was inspired by the incredible teachers who contributed to Empathy Weeks’s 2022 campaign on passion and purpose. Siobhan Keenan Fitzgerald said:

“My travels have taught me that we are more alike than different and that we connect in the simplest ways every single day, through curiosity, compassion and communication, where listening us key. Teaching, I believe, is a work of heart, and that’s why I teach.. “

I loved this as it shows so clearly the importance of purpose and pursuing it with passion.?There is immense beauty in finding your true purpose, the reason why you are on this planet. When you are clear about that purpose, it ignites your passion and you will pursue it with singular focus for the rest of your life.

In fact, we are all in pursuit of this purpose, to make sense of our lives and to give life meaning. Ed Kirwan’s beautifully crafted films and portrait of the lives 5 stars, illustrate how passion and purpose can free you to truly be yourself, inspire and make a difference to all of lives.???https://www.empathy-week.com/ Join us and help us fulfill this mission.