So often do we pretend to understand others when we really don't. Hell, some people make a living off of pretending to understand others. If there's one thing I learned in my trade, it's to never underestimate the significance of personal experience. It's only when you've walked a mile in a person's shoes can we even begin to wrap our heads around what they could be thinking, feeling, and expecting.
It's the reason why we are so gripped by drama, by media portrayals of really shit situations. Whether or not their reactions are realistic is up to debate, but nonetheless, they are our behavioral models for those situations. I can't possibly imagine losing my loved ones, being betrayed, or otherwise undergo moments of extreme emotional duress, but I could imagine how I would react to it.
Think of a machine that can allow you to directly experience what others experience. I call it an empathy machine, for obvious reasons. It's not exactly a new concept since movies such as The Cell and Inception have explored the possibilities for mind invasion, but the idea itself is compelling. It could quite possibly the most powerful device known to man. How else can you change the mind of bigots, punish criminals, and celebrate humanity with a machine that can connect us all in a way never before seen in history?
You never know, Project Instrumentality might've been a good idea after all.
The funny thing is that we spend our life trying to get others to understand us, but we should first spend some trying to understand others before we get too selfish.
