Contrary to popular belief, compassionate empathy is strong in autistic people. We often experience the world with an intensity that can be hard for others to understand. Sometimes in order to handle the intensity, an autistic person will shut off their feelings, leading to the idea that they do no have empathy. The truth is that we have ‘too much’ empathy for a world severely lacking in it. Autistic people know from the depth of our beings that empathy matters.
What is empathy?
It’s the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It’s what allows us to have emotional connection, compassionate communication, and self-compassion. It leads to healthy relationship building, meaningful conflict resolution and social justice. The importance of empathy for a healthy society cannot be overstated. Present Western society is not healthy. Many people in our societies have an empathy deficit, and when such people come to power it leads to suffering and the diminishment of a society.
Why is Empathy Important in society?
Empathy is important because without empathy, we’ve lost the sacred covenant of a society: to come together to care for each other, to protect against threats, to provide food, clothing, and shelter for the tribe, and to care for those unable to care for themself.
The primary purpose of society is to foster collaboration and shared benefit among individuals, enabling them to accomplish tasks and live more fulfilling lives than they could individually. This cannot happen without empathy. Without empathy, we cannot know what will benefit those in our society. Without empathy, the concept of doing anything to benefit others does not exist.
‘The ultimate goal of society is to promote good and happy life for its individuals. It creates conditions and opportunities for the all round development of individual personality. Society ensures harmony and cooperation among individuals in spite of their occasional conflicts and tensions.’ Relation Between Individual and Society, F. M. Anayet Hossain*, Md. Korban Ali.
The Neurodivergent Perspective
Research shows that many autistic individuals possess heightened emotional sensitivity and a profound sense of justice, often feeling the pain of others more deeply than neurotypical people. (1) This isn’t just about being “sensitive”; it’s a wiring of the brain that makes injustice, cruelty, and dishonesty feel not just wrong, but personal.
For those on the spectrum, the real truth is of utmost importance and they cannot understand why others either cannot understand or refuse to believe. (2)
In a world flooded with suffering, misinformation, and rising authoritarianism, this intensity can become overwhelming. For those of us who live with these sensitivities, the suffering we witness—whether across the world or in our own communities—feels immediate and visceral.
The following is a personal reflection on what it means to live with this depth of empathy in a world that often feels broken. It’s a glimpse into the heart of an autistic mind striving to find hope, compassion, and a way forward in an age where truth itself feels under siege and empathy matters more than ever.
A Heavy Heart
I find myself sitting here, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of suffering in the world. Ukraine, Gaza, the vitriol online, misinformation, and the fear of authoritarianism creeping into democracies. It’s not just dissatisfaction; it’s genuine suffering. And for me, these aren’t just distant stories—they’re personal. I feel the pain of others as if it were my own.
Empathy and the Burden of Connection
When I see a mother in Gaza mourning her child, I am that mother. When I hear about people being deported in the dead of night, I am both the deported and their families left behind. This deep connection to others’ pain is a heavy burden. My mother used to say I was too sensitive. But if having a heart makes me too sensitive, then so be it.
The Lies That Fuel Suffering
What truly upsets me is the lies that perpetuate this suffering. Those who claim to champion freedom often mean freedom only for those who echo their beliefs. They manipulate language to silence dissent and deceive ordinary people into voting against their own interests. It’s a global issue, not confined to one country or regime.
The Role of Misinformation and Media
Where are the journalists who should be challenging these lies? Many have been compromised, swayed by the same forces that prioritize money over truth. It’s a battle for democracy fought on social media, where those with the deepest pockets can spread their narrative unchecked, and even empathy is attacked by those who do not know the strength empathy brings to a society.
Empathy is not weakness. It is strength. But when it hurts to feel it, and when people around us don’t honour how important empathy is, it’s all too easy to push it away.
What Can We Do?
So, what can we do? We must learn not to push empathy away, but to honour and foster it. And to use the energy of it to motivate prayer of one form or another. I practice a imaginative form of meditation that is essentially a form of prayer, transforming ignorance and hatred into wisdom and compassion. It helps me to handle my own intense feelings while sending my intention to turn beings towards wisdom and compassion into the universe, where perhaps it will shift something energetically in our world. And I write, hoping my words might spark awareness in my readers.
We need to use social media in a healthy way and champion compassion which stems from empathy. We must challenge the discourses that seek to portrait it as a weakness and recognise how important it is for a healthy society.
We need to remind people of the purpose of society. It is for caring, not controlling. Caring societies flourish, uncaring ones don’t because they have broken the most basic function of society.
We especially need to critically evaluate the actions of those in power. Before we vote, we need to look at our candidates level of empathy and compassion through their past behaviour, not just their promises. A leader without empathy will not lead for the people, but for themselves. We cannot trust that people speak the truth. But we can trust what our empathy tells us about them.
This is my neurodivergent experience.
Why is being empathetic important to the individual?
Empathy isn’t just about caring for others—it’s a cornerstone of emotional intelligence that helps us navigate our own inner world. When we allow ourselves to feel the pain of others, we also deepen our understanding of our own suffering and joy. Major religions have long taught that empathy is a sacred act: Buddhism speaks of compassion as the path to liberation; Christianity calls on believers to “love thy neighbour as thyself”; and Islam teaches that no one is a true believer until they desire for others what they desire for themselves. These teachings remind us that empathy is a bridge between self and other, inner and outer. Cultivating it gives us insight, connection, and the capacity to respond with greater care—even in the face of global crises. And in an age of misinformation, when truth is slippery and suffering is obscured, empathy becomes a radical act of clarity.
Empathy Development
Building empathy begins with slowing down enough to listen—both inwardly and outwardly. Meditation offers a pathway into stillness where we can observe our reactions without judgment, softening the inner defences that prevent us from truly witnessing others.
Developing strong communication skills is equally vital, and empathy engenders the language for connection. When we practise active listening and speak with honesty and respect, we create space for understanding to grow. Empathy isn’t about fixing others or absorbing their pain; it’s about presence. It’s cultivated over time, through reflection, connection, and the willingness to be vulnerable. In a world overwhelmed by noise and disconnection, nurturing empathy is an act of conscious resistance—and perhaps our most essential human skill.
A Call to Value Genuine Connection
We must step away from screens and engage in real conversations, seeking common ground. We all want a better world for our children, affordable housing, and honest leadership. Let’s focus on real solutions, not empty promises from politicians who arouse our worst impulses – anger, hatred, prejudice and intolerance – and find those genuinely committed to integrity and care for others. Let’s feel, truly feel, for others.
It’s time to reclaim our humanity and work towards a world where love, not hatred, guides us.
Honouring the Neurodivergent Experience
Imagine if, instead of branding deep-feeling, justice-driven souls as disordered, we honoured them as ancient societies once did—as seers, visionaries, and keepers of the moral flame. Across Indigenous and First Nations cultures, those who sensed the unseen and felt the world’s sorrows most keenly were entrusted with sacred roles. (3) They guided their people through times of change, holding a wisdom that bridged earth and spirit. Today, we stand at a crossroads where such guidance is needed more than ever. If we could learn to revere the fierce compassion and clarity that neurodivergent minds offer, we might find our way back to a society built on empathy, truth, and hope. Their voices are not cries of disorder, but calls to awaken.
“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home.”
— Australian Aboriginal proverb (originating from multiple First Nations sources)
May we learn to honour those who feel most deeply, for in their sensitivity lies the wisdom to heal our world and move forward with dignity for all.
Does anything in this article resonate with you? If so, please do drop a comment below.
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(1) Sources for context: Research in autism studies (e.g., Rogers et al., 2007; Bird et al., 2010) indicates heightened emotional reactivity and empathic distress in autistic individuals, particularly around injustice and suffering.
(2)Reference: Employment Autism, ‘Autism and Honesty’, Charlotte Sabel, 2022. https://employmentautism.org.uk/autism-and-honesty/
(3) Reference: Across many cultures—including First Nations Australians and Indigenous peoples of the Americas—individuals with different ways of perceiving and feeling were often seen as spiritually gifted, serving as shamans, healers, or wisdom-keepers (Silberman, “NeuroTribes,” 2015; Harner, “The Way of the Shaman,” 1980).
