Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Maybe instead of toughening anti-hate laws in a vain attempt to combat racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia, we could do what Denmark has done and teach empathy in school.
The United Nations’ World Happiness Report placed Denmark in the top three happiest countries globally for seven years straight.
Many people point to wealth, healthcare and social security as the reasons.
But the Danes highlight something more unusual: they’ve been teaching empathy in schools as a required subject since 1993.
Every child between the ages of 6 and 16 spends one hour each week in a class called Klassens tid.
This is an hour dedicated to listening, sharing, and solving problems together. Teachers and students sit down to talk through issues, whether it’s bullying, being left out, or even problems at home.
The class works as a group to find solutions built on respect and understanding. Researchers and educators say these empathy classes matter. A University of Michigan study found that US college students today show 40 per cent less empathy than those in the 1980s and 1990s.
Experts believe this decline is linked to a rise in narcissism and worsening mental health.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Denmark has chosen the opposite path – building empathy into its national curriculum.
About 60 per cent of schoolwork is done collaboratively. Students are taught not to compete with each other but to help classmates who may struggle.
Danish schools don’t hand out awards to top students. Instead, children are encouraged to compete only with themselves, focusing on improving their own abilities rather than beating others.
I think despite Trump’s threat to invade, Greenlanders might be a lot happier continuing to live as a Danish dominion.
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