Empathy Kits Teach Us How To Put Ourselves In Other’s Shoes (Or Paws): Be Curious, Put Aside Our Differences, Imagine What It’s Like To Experience What They Feel
Every Animal Is Someone – PETA
“We may never see eye to eye with everyone, but we can look into each other’s eyes and understand that we’re all animals, that each one of us deserves respect and kindness, that everyone should live free from needless pain and suffering, and that every animal is someone.Visit here to DOWNLOAD AN “EVERY ANIMAL IS SOMEONE” EMPATHY KIT”
The following questions were answered by PETA about the Empathy Kit they recently developed.
How was it developed? Was there input from educators or other individuals?
The Empathy Kits were a collaborative effort with our humane-education division, TeachKind, which includes former classroom teachers and educational experts, and develops empathy programming for young people, as well as writers and researchers, drawing from the growing body of research showing that people who demonstrate more empathy for others are more likely to engage in prosocial behavior, less likely to commit acts of violence, and less likely to engage in other forms of antisocial behavior.
Are there specific learning techniques it uses to teach empathy?
The Empathy Kits encourage people to treat empathy like a muscle—it gets stronger the more we use it. Everyone can build empathy through simple exercises like making a list of things we have in common with another being, letting go of assumptions about others, observing animals in their natural habitats, and imagining how we would feel if we swapped places with them. By focusing on the many things we have in common with others, rather than trivial differences like nationality, religion, gender, or species, we can begin to understand that every animal is someone and deserves respect.
Will it be helpful for those who are resistant to such information, such as those who have seen programs about the abuse of animals, and still continue to not care?
The Empathy Kits are designed precisely for people who could use a lesson in kindness, which is why we encourage people to share them with someone in their life who hunts, eats animals, or wears cruelly obtained materials such as fur and leather. And for those who already care about animals but struggle with how to turn empathy into action, each kit includes a list of the simple choices we can make every day—in the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and the entertainment we watch—to have a positive impact on other beings.
What is the format of the kit? Is it a pdf, videos, or something else?
We launched the Empathy Kits as a small print run of physical booklets, but making them accessible to everyone was a top priority, so we’ve made downloadable digital copies available for free at PETA.org.
Here is the original description of the Empathy Kits from PETA’s website:
“Humans share this planet with millions of other species, and we all have inherent worth. When we consider the individuals around us—whether they’re a lonely elderly neighbor or a frightened chicken on a transport truck heading to slaughter—we can recognize that everyone feels love, grief, joy, pain, fear, and hope.
Animals have unique personalities, amazing abilities, and a remarkable capacity for emotions.
Consider the following:
Elephants and chimpanzees mourn and shed tears if a member of their family dies.
Fish “sing” underwater and like physical contact with other fish, often gently rubbing against one another—similar to how a cat weaves in and out of your legs.
Mother cows walk for miles in search of their stolen babies.
Rats willingly put themselves in harm’s way to save others.
Geese fall in love and are loyal to their partner for life, even when facing danger.
Many orcas in the ocean stay with their families for life.
In 2024, PETA will continue building a more respectful world for all animals.
With tensions often running high, hopelessness abounding, and conflicts raging around the globe, PETA is empowering humans to recognize the similarities in everyone around them instead of focusing on their differences. Our “Every Animal Is Someone” slogan will be incorporated into our work for animals.
For animals who are cut open on laboratory tables, prodded onto the kill floor in slaughterhouses, skinned for leather, or held in cramped tanks in marine parks, our compassion and conviction are critical.
We all have the power to help make the world a kinder place and to choose nonviolence every single day with every decision we make.
Our daily choices of what to eat, of what to buy, and in all we do can have a lifesaving impact on animals. One of the best ways to show our solidarity with every animal is to go vegan. PETA will gladly help you with all you need to get started.
Share one with a relative who eats meat and cheese, a neighbor who chains their dog outside, a coworker who carries a crocodile-skin bag or wears wool or feathers, or anyone else who could benefit from a lesson in kindness.
Banner Image: Rats willingly put themselves in harm’s way to save others. Image Credit – PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, and PETA entities have more than 9 million members and supporters globally. PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: in laboratories, in the food industry, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment business. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of rodents, birds, and other animals who are often considered “pests” as well as cruelty to domesticated animals. PETA works through public education, investigative newsgathering and reporting, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.
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