Craigslist Joe and The Empathic Civilization

Empathy is a lot like sympathy but very different at the same time. Empathy is the ability to share feelings with someone and relate to them. For example if a person’s dog died and their friend’s dog died as well, they could feel empathy towards them. That is what Jeremy Rifkin’s The Empathic Civilization is all about. Rifkin tries to explain that our brains are hardwired to experience and feel empathy. He says “All humans are soft wired with mirror neurons, so that if, I’m observing you, your anger, your frustration, your sense of rejection, your joy, whatever it is. I can feel what you’re doing. The same neurons will light up in me as if I’m having that experience myself.” (The Empathic Civilization). Most people don’t even realize this reaction happens but new neurological studies have proven it. It all started with a test on a monkey trying to open a nut. Rifkin even says “We are soft wired to experience another’s plight as if we are experiencing it ourselves.” (The Empathic Civilization). Later in the video he says “The first drive is: the drive to belong.” (The Empathic Civilization). He’s saying for as bad as people want to stand out and be unique, they want to belong to something. That something could be a group of friends, people, or just the human race itself.

Craigslist Joe is movie about a man who tries to live an entire month just off of Craigslist. He tries to find transportation, food, and shelter, and he succeeds. I the movie Joe Garner says,"...some say we have lost the sense of community that carry us through tough times, today it's every person for themselves. Some say that technology and social media fuel this isolation, have we become so caught up in our own lives, that we don't notice life outside our bubble?"(Craigslist Joe). People today are so caught up in doing everything to benefit themselves that they forget they are a part of a bigger picture: the human race. We are all a part of something. Some argue that the internet tears that away from us, but some argue that it brings us closer together. Throughout the movie it becomes clear that there are people that realize this big picture. Joe says, "The generosity of people, and the stories they shared, and the connection I've made, in one month!Was so deep and just meeting everyone and telling them my story and the journey... it was just truly inspiring on humanity to know that we can take care of each other"(Craigslist Joe). At the end of the movie, Joe realizes that people do still have sympathy and empathy, and no matter what the internet does, it can’t take away the fact that we are all human. Joe says, "Just thinking back to all my friends at home and family, that will keep me through the night. I know it will be a cold night a harsh night, but in the morning the sun will come out and I’m making the best of it"(Craigslist Joe). Joe is reminding himself of that fact.The fact that he is human and every day is a new start.