Barack Obama Father's Day Speech

"The third thing we need to do as fathers is pass along the value of empathy to our children. Not sympathy, but empathy – the ability to stand in somebody else’s shoes; to look at the world through their eyes. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in “us,” in “me,” that we forget about our obligations to other people, to one another. There’s a culture in our society that says remembering to look out for other people is somehow being soft. We hear that even our politics in Washington, that it’s all about you, look out for your self-interest, don’t look out for others."
-Barack Obama Father's Day Speech 2008 

          What President Obama is emphasizing in this passage is the idea that the role of the individual human would not be significant if no one else was around, so we should take into consideration, those who we surround ourselves with. By taking ourselves out of the spotlight and considering others we are giving recognition and we are giving a voice and we are meeting needs of others. He says to teach empathy rather than sympathy because to sympathize with someone only shows that you see the struggle or you see the pain, and you feel sorry for them, but to empathize with someone designates that you feel for the other person, you can take yourself away from your "higher standing" or "lack of struggle" and put yourself in their shoes to show that you might not be able to understand their problems but you respect it. 

          His reference to Washington and politics is very legit as it seems most political leaders are out to ensure that their well being is met as well as their needs; neglecting the fact that the remainder of the nation is still in dire need of plenty of things. When laws are made or taxes go up, it is always to benefit the leaders rather than the workers. If Political leaders practiced empathy rather than sympathy, all social classes would be flourishing and doing better because to pity the lower classes does nothing for them.