0 Values & Principles

Foundational Values of Culture of Empathy

The understanding of the values and principles is as evolving process.

Definition of Values

• Important and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable.

List of Values

1. Empathy

2. Feeling into our own and others felt experience.

3. Mutuality

4. Insisting on mutuality in all the values that make up a culture of empathy

5. Openness

6. Nurturing the feeling of openness in individuals and society.

7. Common Humanity

8. A sense and recognition that at our core, people have the same feelings, desires, and needs.

9. Feelings Awareness

10. A sense, recognition, and awareness that all people have feelings.

11. Collaboration

12. Working together with mutual empathy to creatively complete a task or achieve goals.

13. Mutual Responsibility

14. A recognition that everyone shares a part of the responsibility. (for the way things are )

15. Integrative

16. An ongoing integration of personal and social energies and feelings thorough empathic dialogue.

17. Relationality

18. A sense and recognition that we are in a relationship with others and the environment.

19. Power With

20. Power based on mutual empathic dialogue and decision making.

21. Presence

22. Staying present with feelings that arise.

23. Care

24. A feeling of warmth and concern for the well-being and flourishing of all

25. .

26. Listening

27. Listening to ones self and others.

28. Empathic Questing

29. An ongoing exploration, dialogue, and growth about the nature and values of a Culture of Empathy. An ongoing seeking, learning, growing, deepening, articulating, documenting, and transforming of the culture.

30. Imaginative Empathy

31. Able to take a different perspective and role-taking.

32. Systemic Awareness

33. Aware of the larger systems we live in and how they support or hinder empathic connection. Also, the effort to transform the system.

Foundational Principles of Culture of Empathy

Definition of Principle:

• a rule of conduct based on our values.

• a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

Values & Principles of a Culture of Empathy

1. We are willing to have an empathic dialogue with all people.

- We want to expand scope of our human connections to include all of humanity (not limit it).

- Underlying Values: Mutual Empathy, Openness, Common Humanity.

2. We strive to keep increasing the circle of our empathic dialogue and connection with an ever wider variety of people.

- We strive to expand connections and get out of a bubble. (not be a narrow ingroup).

- We want to reach out to all of humanity.

- Underlying Values: Mutual Empathy, Openness, Inclusion, Common Humanity.

3. We strive to expand connections and not be a narrow ingroup.

- We want to reach out to all of humanity.

- Underlying Values: This is based on the values of openness and common humanity.

4. Addressing Conflict. If there is conflict in our community or between others, we are willing to have a mutually empathic dialogue to work it out. That is to take part in an empathy circle, restorative empathy circle, etc.

- Underlying Values: Mutual Empathy, Openness, Presence, Collaboration, Common Humanity.

5. We are willing to take the first step in being empathic with the intention of creating a culture of empathy.

- Underlying Values: Mutual Empathy, Presence, Collaboration, Common Humanity.

6. We Spread the Values and Principles of a Culture of Empathy

- Underlying Values: Common Humanity,