Realistically, sometimes empathy can't be achieved. There are those who refuse to even attempt to put themselves in another's shoes.
But other times, it is learned.
That was one of the striking points of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's press conference this week, in which he spoke for nearly 20 minutes, solely about social issues.
Newton admitted he does not deal personally with the types of racial inequities suffered by many in this country, because of his social standing.
But he said he will publicly discuss those inequities, and try to understand them. He even called racial injustice in America "an epidemic."
"I often remind people of where I'm from _ I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, by way of College Park," he said. "And it's a lot of stereotyping, it's a lot of cultural division, so to speak, in those areas.
"So the person that I am now, if I were to see a person of a different race, of course I'm going to get their best behavior. But when you go back to those sides of College Park, of East Point, Ben Hill, Bowen Homes. ... A person growing up, walking down the street may not have the same cushion, so to speak, from a policeman. That's what I mean."
These introspective, empathetic comments are in stark contrast to the now-infamous interview Newton gave to GQ magazine in 2016, in which he told the author that he did not want the story to be "about race" because "we're beyond that, as a nation."
Of course, even those who skimmed over racial issues before have now seen racism thrust into the spotlight almost daily _ between the divisive rhetoric of President Donald Trump, the tragic events at Charlottesville, and in the hateful reactions of many to the peaceful, kneeling protest of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
And they _ Newton included _ see more clearly that we, as a nation, are really not "beyond that."
