Empathy is slowly disappearing in today’s society. With less face-to-face communication, people feel less responsible for what they do or say to others.

Texting and social media sites enable people to correspond without speaking face-to-face and avoiding physical meetings. Such impersonal technologies lead to isolation from others, allowing people to become more distant, physically as well as emotionally.

Efficient communication is not always conducive to developing better communication or social skills.

Video games probably also contribute to anti-social tendencies with children usually playing alone instead of doing activities with  friends. Such games also make violence commonplace, lessening students’ connections to others as a part of a larger group.

Isolation from others distances the individual emotionally as well as physically, hindering the ability to feel or develop empathy.

Children must be encouraged to develop their natural capacity for compassion. Schools provide the ideal venue for such lessons and should include them in curriculum. Educators must expose youth to experiences and situations that foster empathy, benefiting future generations.