Each day I am continually discouraged by the news. Bernard Madoff stole billions of dollars, the US economy continues to slide with no end in sight, the world wide environment continues to be abused at an unsustainable rate and war still ravages millions of people. The connection to education seems all too obvious. These problems can only be solved if we begin adopting a completely new set of values and purpose for schools. I believe that “Empathy” may be the most important 21st century skill and should be fostered in every student on this planet. The current design of most schools socializes students to become indifferent players in an unsustainable and unfulfillable economic game. This socialization reflects the current values of a society and it’s becoming far too obvious the sheer destruction these values have on the planet. The connection to education and the socialization power of schools seems far too obvious. It’s now time to rethink the purpose of schooling and begin equipping a generation of students with skills that will help us build a more noble, sustainable and brighter future than the one we are currently facing. Imagine what the world would be like if every school valued empathy more than indifference. That’s a future that excites me.