When I first began exploring Brittany Simonâs idea of the levels, I felt like I had discovered a framework that described something I had always sensed but hadnât put into words. The levels outlined how people approach truth, meaning, and relationships at different stages of thought. They ranged from rigid black-and-white thinking at the lowerContinue reading “Anarcho-Compassionism and Level 6: Radical Empathy in a World of Infinite Possibility”
Author Archives: jaimedavid327
When Compassion Gets Dismissed
Iâve been thinking a lot lately about something that happened in the wake of Charlie Kirkâs death. Two people I knew online, one a good friend of mine and the other just an acquaintance through that friend, had a falling out over the whole thing. And honestly, I wasnât surprised. Not because I wanted itContinue reading “When Compassion Gets Dismissed”
Between the Infinite and the Choice: Free Will and Determinism Together
The debate between free will and determinism has been one of the most enduring questions in philosophy. Are we truly free to make our own choices, or are our lives determined by prior causes, physical laws, and circumstances far beyond our control? For centuries, thinkers have drawn a hard line between the two camps. OnContinue reading “Between the Infinite and the Choice: Free Will and Determinism Together”
âJust Becauseâ as a Motive of Its Own
When people hear the phrase âjust because,â they often treat it as a non-answer. It sounds evasive, dismissive, even childishâlike when a kid is asked why they did something and responds with nothing more than a shrug. To most of us, âjust becauseâ feels like a refusal to engage with the deeper question of why.Continue reading “âJust Becauseâ as a Motive of Its Own”
Beyond Motive: When Actions Have No Reason
When something tragic, violent, or shocking happens, we almost instinctively demand an explanation. We look for the motive. We want to know why someone did what they did. Was it political? Ideological? Personal? Was it revenge, hatred, desperation, or some darker drive? Motives, in our minds, make things fit into a story, a narrative weContinue reading “Beyond Motive: When Actions Have No Reason”
When Politics Breaks Friendships: Reflections on the Fallout After Charlie Kirk
Sometimes the most unexpected moments reveal the fault lines that have been hiding beneath the surface of our relationships. Recently, I witnessed two people I knew onlineâone a close friend of mine, and another who was more of a mutual acquaintanceâhave a falling out. The reason? What happened to Charlie Kirk, and the differing waysContinue reading “When Politics Breaks Friendships: Reflections on the Fallout After Charlie Kirk”
The Escalation of Violence and the Urgent Need for Radical Empathy
The United States in 2025 is witnessing an alarming acceleration of violence, both in scope and context. From political killings to public altercations, the normalization of violence has seeped into areas that would have once felt unthinkable. The killing of Charlie Kirk in September 2025 is a tragic but telling example of this trend. ItâsContinue reading “The Escalation of Violence and the Urgent Need for Radical Empathy”
Conditional Empathy Is the Language of Authoritarians
One of the most dangerous ideas creeping into our culture right now is the notion that empathy can â or should â be conditional. That empathy should be extended only to the people who âdeserveâ it, to those who think like us, vote like us, believe like us, live like us. This mindset isnât justContinue reading “Conditional Empathy Is the Language of Authoritarians”
Why America Needs Radical Empathy Now More Than Ever
The United States is in crisis. Not just a political crisis, not just an economic crisis, not just a cultural crisisâbut a crisis of humanity. Violence has become normalized. Division has hardened into identity. Mistrust is the default. Every headline, every tragedy, every new eruption of outrage points back to the same truth: we noContinue reading “Why America Needs Radical Empathy Now More Than Ever”
There Is No Empathy Paradox: Why Humanity Cannot Be Conditional
In the aftermath of Charlie Kirkâs killing, I saw a video from a leftist commentator framing the issue in terms of an âempathy paradox.â The argument was that itâs somehow contradictory to show empathy for someone who was not a good person, who actively caused harm, who dedicated his life to pushing a destructive ideology.Continue reading “There Is No Empathy Paradox: Why Humanity Cannot Be Conditional”