We are They

 We are they


The propensity to empathize 

is an evolutionary adaptation 

mediated by our brains and bodies 

enabling survival and procreation


Empathy has valence

although is generally assumed 

to be good or positive 


As empathic individuals

we are able to understand

the views of others

and interact meaningfully 

despite distinctive backgrounds 


Empathy enables imagination

A writer invents characters

An actor may play

many different roles

A journalist may describe 

a variety of experiences 

and points of view 


The essence of democracy 

is the ability

that all of us must possess

in order to get along

in order to avoid war

and other destructive actions


Our ability to empathize

may underlie our ability

to hold a variety of points of view

in a variety of circumstances

about an endless list

of interests and concerns


The complex adaptive machine

that is the brain

and the body in which

it is enclosed

has myriad of aptitudes

a cornucopia of potential tools

to foster those evolutionary goals 


Although we are likely to continue

to use the me and I

and we and us 

of selected groups

we are biologically plural

even as individual beings

many I's in a single person 


I am they

is the way that we understand

the many worlds in which we live



Aubrey Lieberman 

6/17/24

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