Goop.com interviews Roman Krznaric about the power of empathy:
Most children develop empathy naturally: by the age of two or three they have the capacity to see things from the perspectives of others. But we can bring out their latent empathic potential by teaching empathy in the classroom. The Roots of Empathy program is fabulous, and now operates from the age of around three upwards. A class adopts a real live baby for the year and on regular visits the kids sit around the baby discussing, “Why is she crying?” or, “Why is she laughing?” or, “What’s she thinking or feeling?” They’re trying to step into the baby’s shoes. They then use this as a jumping off point for discussing what it might be like to be bullied in the playground or be someone in a wheelchair. This kind of program has superb results: It reduces schoolyard bullying, increases cooperation, and even raises general academic attainment. I think empathy should be a school subject in the same way science or geography is.