Our sympathy for fictitious characters can translate into compassion in real life
There was a lovely piece of writing in the Guardian recently about how reading both inspires empathy and connects people. This is not a new revelation for those who have participated in the Salon studies or other book studies. There is a wonderful connectivity that occurs in the presence of great ideas and complex language.
Overall, we need to find new ways to connect across political divisions & differences in world view– across gender divides and national perspectives. Literature offers this opportunity. Every week in the Salon conversations I witness how we learn to respect differing approaches– and use these to enrich our own particular world view.
Here is a selection from this article– I think you would enjoy the whole piece: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/17/a-literary-cure-for-loneliness-pick-up-a-book
But there is another important reason why everyone should read more books, and in particular fiction. The responsibility to combat loneliness lies with those who do not suffer from it. Lonely people often feel that there is no one out there, no one who understands them or can share their point of view. They need to know that actually there are. That requires everybody else to make the imaginative leap of feeling that connection, and reading fiction helps. It makes people more empathic – sympathy for fictitious characters can translate into compassion in real life.
The stories of strangers reach us through many means: news bulletins, interviews, biography and memoir, but also drama and fiction. Listening to these carefully, making imaginative connections, walking a mile in their shoes might help turn some of those strangers into real friends.
