History, Trauma & the Lack of Empathy
History, “The past” as Faulkner wrote, “is never dead. It’s not even past.” Trauma, a Greek word for wound, takes on myriad shapes and forms. It often remains and reverberates through generations. There is individual trauma and collective trauma. However, just because you suffered does not give you permission to inflict suffering on others. Angela Davis said, “Victimization cannot be permitted to function as a halo of innocence.” Empathy is the ability to take on another person’s perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience. Victims need our empathy, our compassion but not according to the world’s richest man. Elon Musk has said, “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.”
Speaker
Gabor Maté
Gabor Maté, a Holocaust survivor, is a Hungarian-born Canadian physician with a special interest in childhood development, trauma and potential lifelong impacts on physical and mental health, including addictions. He is the author of the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction and co-author of The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture.
Bill Orton –
Excellent, historical background I have not heard in my lifetime of history schooling–profound. . .invaluable to understanding what is occurring now on the world stage.
laszlo csepreghy –
How can we make speeches like this “main stream” – instead of “alternative”? There is only one truth. It is not “alternative”. As a start, share it with everyone on your email list. Thank you.
MPR Roorda –
How grateful we are for the insightful, experienced and professed words of Dr. Mate’.
Now it’s our responsibility to share those insights for all of us to progress toward developing an understanding and an acceptance of our misperceptions.
Do no harm to any living thing.
In gassho.
Listener in SoCal –
The interview was outstanding, more clarity as the real difficult history of Jews and Palestinians…more of these talks, please.
From a listener in California –
Maté is an important voice. I’ve been trying for some time to point out that both Israel and Palestine are operating out of PTSD so we can try to step out of all the hate and blaming.
RingFinger –
Informative, articulated, with wealth of resources.
Jane Does –
Dr. Maté gives the narrative, credibility. Priceless. Thank you.
Marcia Heath –
This is a fabulous interview. It’s for everyone who ever asked the question: “How can the Israeli’s be doing this to the Palestinians after what was done to the Jews?” I want to get everyone I know to hear this talk, it is so very revealing of the psychology and history that produces colonial genocides.