Progressive Values Stories: Joe Brewer on Empathy

by WhatAre Progressive Values [courtesy of Blog for America]

(This is part of an ongoing series of interviews of progressives telling personal stories about their values for the "What are Progressive Values?" documentary project - ProgressiveSpirit.com ).

I ran into Joe Brewer cleaning the streets of Oakland on Earth Day. Joe works as a fellow at the Rockridge Institute in Berkeley, California.  He says empathy is the basic progressive value and tells a personal story about his experiences growing up in a small town and his visit to India.

Joe Brewer:  When we talk about progressive values, what we are really talking about is how we care and why we care.  So I think the most important progressive value is empathy. By empathy I mean that we feel a strong connection with other people, and we put themselves in our shoes.  And when we do that, we feel responsibility to help end their suffering. 

So when people are treated unfairly, like with inequality, we have a responsibility to do what we can collectively in our community to care for those people and provide for them, to be sure that they are given the opportunities that everyone deserves.  So I think when we’re talking about progressive values, we’re really talking about empathy and responsibility.