Kindness. // It's a simple word, / but it is / essential / if we are to survive / as a species / on this planet. // So I come / to another thing / I've learned. // I've learned, / from reading the writings of the great / Edward O. Wilson, / that one of the core / reasons / we have been so / successful / as a species / is that / we evolved / the capacity / to empathize. // That means / that the tribes / who espoused / empathy / were more successful / at survival / than the ones / who didn't. // In order / for a community, / for a tribe, / to survive / and thrive, / we / humans / had to evolve / the ability / to register / the emotions, / the plight, / the fears / and the needs / of other members / of our tribe / and to respond / to them / with empathy. // We die / without connection. // Nothing / is worse / for us / humans / than to be bereft / of community. // Empathy evolved / because two eyes / looked / into two eyes. // It's the most / immediate / and powerful way / we humans / communicate. // Empathy evolved / because we looked at each other, / face / to face, / not / on a screen. // Studies have shown / that the farther away / we get / from two eyes / looking / into two eyes, / the harder it is / to empathize. // What I have learned / is that if / we are to remain / a free / and viable society, / we need to spend / less time / looking at screens / and more time / looking into / each other's eyes. //