In my post “Empathy in Politics” (November 5, 2010), I reiterated the lack of empathy that others had noted in the President: “Empathy . . . requires an identification with others together with an awareness of one’s own feelings—expressed more in tone of voice and manner than in words.”  President Barack Obama, in his address to the Tucson Tragedy Memorial, demonstrated  that empathy—while making a courageous attempt to apply principles of Social Learning on a national level: a motivated and supportive group, timed confrontation of issues, skilled leader, and a course of action. 

• National conversation emerges (1) the tragedy, (2) other events (broaden the focus)

—when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature. . . to try to impose some order on the chaos, and make sense out of that which seems senseless. 

—we’ve seen a national conversation commence, not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health systems. Much of this process, of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future, is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government.

—it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.

• Broaden our “moral imaginations” (1) listen more carefully, (2) sharpen our instincts for empathy (3) hope and dreams are bound together.

—Let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.

• Shaken from routines (1) look inward, (2) refect on past, (3) reflect on present and (4) look forward.

—when we lose someone in our family—especially if the loss is unexpected. We're shaken from our routines, and forced to look inward. We reflect on the past. 

—So sudden loss causes us to look backward—but it also forces us to look forward, to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us.

—We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future.

—what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame—but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in bettering the lives of others.

• Reflect on (1) how we lived our lives, (2) nurture our relationships (kindness, generousity, compassion.

—Tragedy requires aligning values with actions (reflections and debate)

—That process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions – that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires.

—If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should, let's make sure it's worthy of those we have lost. Let's make sure it's not on the usual plane of politics and point scoring and pettiness that drifts away with the next news cycle.

—The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better in our private lives – to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, . . . their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let's remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation.

—our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.

At least one group got the President’s message. ABC Evening news reported the following night that a third grade class in Tucson had taken on its own project to locate and record people who had committed “Random acts of kindness.”

Cross-posted from Dennie's Blog