Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Number 2 | Page 114

Empathy has gone beyond the theatrical exchange between spectators and
performers. The world replete with conflict, violence and terrorism, is our
new theater. The mixed electronic and social media have all conscripted us
to act as spectators. But furthermore, technological mediation redefines how
we experience empathy today. We are in a world where mediated images are
beamed, often in real-time, to our phones, computers, and televisions. These
images show conflict in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria,
Egypt, and even the recent terror attack in Manchester. When we feel for the
victims and imagine their pain our fears become real. Consequently, we are
also trapped in vicarious emotions and traumas.
We empathize as a collective humanity whenever and wherever violence
is unleashed. But the final outcome of our collective empathy is largely
determined by the actions we adopt. If our response is characterized by
silence or fear, we become vicariously traumatized and fragmented as victims
of our indifference. However, when these images stare at us and we respond
with outcries of condemnation by speaking up, we invite a healing process
for our trauma. This way, empathy offers every individual a cognitive and
emotional power to dare and heal the world.
Reference
Wilson, Edwin. (����) The Theater Experience, �th ed. New York: McGraw-
Hill.
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