Description
The 28th Governor General's most personal and timely book to date: a passionate and practical guide for turning empathy into action.
As the world stumbles through the most severe pandemic of the last century, threatened by teetering economies, torn by political division, separated by unequal access to resources, and wrestling with issues as diverse as racism, gender, cybercrime, and climate change, the nations that best adapt and prosper are those in which empathy is fully alive and widely active. Written for a post-pandemic world, Empathy is a book about learning to be empathetic and then turning that empathy into action. Based on the personal experiences of author David Johnston, the book explores how awakening to the transformative power of listening and caring permanently changes individuals, families, communities, and nations.
A how-to manual for a world craving kindness, Empathy offers proof of the inherent goodness of people, and shows how exercising the instinct for kindness creates societies that are both smart and caring. Through poignant stories and crisp observations, David contends that “Everyone has power over some things that other people don’t. When they learn ways to turn that power into action, they change the future dramatically.”
With clear and practical focus, Empathy looks at a host of issues that demand our attention, from education and immigration, to healthcare, the law, policing, business ethics, and criminal justice. In each of these areas, Johnston highlights the deeper understandings that have arisen during the COVID-19 crisis, with sharp emphasis on the positive and negative lessons now in crisp focus. Convinced that empathy is the fastest route to peace and progress in all their forms, David ends each short chapter with a set of practical steps the reader can take to make the world better, one deliberate action at a time.
About the Author
One of Canada's most respected and beloved governors general, DAVID JOHNSTON is a graduate of Harvard, Cambridge and Queen's universities. He served as dean of law at Western University, principal of McGill University and president of the University of Waterloo. He is the author or co-author of twenty-five books, holds honorary doctorates from over twenty universities and is a Companion of the Order of Canada. Born in Sudbury, Ontario, he is married to Sharon Johnston, and has five daughters and twelve grandchildren.
TOM JENKINS is chairman of the board of OpenText and has served as a member of its board since 1994, as president and chief executive officer from 1994 to 2005 and as executive chairman and chief strategy officer from 2005 to 2013. He is the chancellor of the University of Waterloo and is an Officer of the Order of Canada (OC) for his contributions to education and innovation in Canada. He is a graduate of the Schulich School of Business at York University, the University of Toronto, and McMaster University. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (FCAE). Mr. Jenkins is a recipient of the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (QDJM).
JOSH HOLINATY was raised in Alberta and now works out of Toronto, Ontario. He has worked with a variety of clients, including the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, maisonneuve, MoneySense, on a variety of illustration projects, such as editorial, ads, poster design, walls and more. He has illustrated several children's books: Liam Takes a Stand by Troy Wilson, Ira Crumb Makes a Pretty Good Friend by Naseem Hrab, It's Catching by Jennifer Gardy and A Beginner's Guide to Immortality by Maria Birmingham (nominated for the 2016 Norma Fleck Award).
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