Authentic Empathy

I am often asked why I do not use my platform to comment on politics or current events.

There are many reasons, but one of the most important is that, as an actor and music artist, I do not believe it is my place to position myself as an authority on political matters. My role is not to instruct people on what to think, but to invite them to feel, reflect, and question.

I choose to express my perspective through art, through performance, music, and poetry. Art allows space for complexity, contradiction, and emotional truth in a way that slogans and statements rarely do.

At my core, I am an empath. I have found over the years that other real, authentic Empaths are always Centrists politically  - leaning toward the left on some issues, and the right on others.

Deep, authentic empathy does not begin by choosing a side. It responds to human pain before identity, ideology, or affiliation. Looking for a balance in life, we try to understand the reasons for what we are confronted with. We seek to listen, to observe and inform ourselves to react responsibly.

Because of this, empathy often resists political extremes. It asks us to hold multiple truths at once and to acknowledge suffering wherever it exists. This is what separates us from the herd mentality - those who react to the fear-mongering and hatred. We lead by example in our reasoning to be gentle yet firm, but most of all, we do this because of our love for each and every human out there.

I see people claim the label of empath while reacting with hostility and certainty toward issues they have not fully absorbed or sat with. Empathy cannot coexist with selective compassion. You cannot claim to be deeply empathetic while dismissing the thoughts, fears, or grief of half the world simply because they fall outside your chosen narrative.

Social media amplifies this problem. It rewards haste, outrage, and performance over reflection. People post in moments of emotional reactivity, releasing anger into the world without considering the long term impact on themselves or others. Over time, that energy isolates them, even as they wonder why they feel unheard or alone. That is what breaks my heart.

Empathy requires patience, humility, and restraint. It is quieter than outrage, slower than certainty, and far less interested in winning than in understanding.

As always, live life lovingly. Jase x