I just read an article in Time about college students being more likely to care about global issues than to empathize with other human beings.
While reading it I thought about this year's Confirmation class, the soon-to-be college students that I know, and how they do not fit the description in Time magazine. This year's confirmands were caring and connected, and went out of their way to try to understand each other.
It made me wonder if Judaism and Confirmation can be an antidote to the lack of empathy that characterizes college students today. Judaism commands us to have empathy; we are obligated to remember how our ancestors were treated in Egypt, and that should shape how we treat other people. If the real problem is lack of personal connection in the age of texting and video games, as the article suggests, then a strong connection to the Jewish community can create the social bonds that help us understand others.
Read the article in Time: College Students Short on Empathy
Then check out the Confirmation 2010 Speeches
[Posted by Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik]
