On December 31st, it seemed that when most of the globe was ringing in the New Year, the celebrations were mainly about ringing out the Old Year. For most, 2016 was a year of huge losses on so many fronts. But thanks in part to the world of politics, where those of opposing views dug their entrenched positions deeper, we all won at least a single small victory. In an effort to understand the great and widening divide in thought and outlook, more people began to look to empathy to help them narrow that gap.

While some scholars try with data and semantics to dismiss the value of empathy, it’s a great step forward to have empathy even in the discussion. Better yet, there’s a growing willingness, including from Aurthor C. Brooks writing in the NY Times, to share ways to put empathy to work as it’s meant to be. One person at a time.

Verdict: