Dr. Jamil Zaki

Oh, gosh, I would love to. I'll try not to get emotional right off the bat. Please do. Emil was a friend of mine, but he was also one of my heroes. We both studied the neuroscience of empathy. And there's not like a million people who do that. So we gravitated towards each other pretty quickly. He, in particular...

Oh, gosh, I would love to. I'll try not to get emotional right off the bat. Please do. Emil was a friend of mine, but he was also one of my heroes. We both studied the neuroscience of empathy. And there's not like a million people who do that. So we gravitated towards each other pretty quickly. He, in particular...

was really interested in how neuroscience could inform our understanding of violence and hatred and how we could reduce those. What happens in the brain when people hate one another and how can we use that information to create new paths to peace? He also was potentially the most positive person I have ever known in my life.

was really interested in how neuroscience could inform our understanding of violence and hatred and how we could reduce those. What happens in the brain when people hate one another and how can we use that information to create new paths to peace? He also was potentially the most positive person I have ever known in my life.

was really interested in how neuroscience could inform our understanding of violence and hatred and how we could reduce those. What happens in the brain when people hate one another and how can we use that information to create new paths to peace? He also was potentially the most positive person I have ever known in my life.

He just stubbornly saw the best in people and really believed that we could use science to do good. And, you know, I'm friends with a lot of people who study things like empathy and kindness. And I'll tell you that not all of us believe that everything will turn out okay at all. And sometimes talking with Emil, you kind of felt like, where does this guy get off being so optimistic?

He just stubbornly saw the best in people and really believed that we could use science to do good. And, you know, I'm friends with a lot of people who study things like empathy and kindness. And I'll tell you that not all of us believe that everything will turn out okay at all. And sometimes talking with Emil, you kind of felt like, where does this guy get off being so optimistic?

He just stubbornly saw the best in people and really believed that we could use science to do good. And, you know, I'm friends with a lot of people who study things like empathy and kindness. And I'll tell you that not all of us believe that everything will turn out okay at all. And sometimes talking with Emil, you kind of felt like, where does this guy get off being so optimistic?

You know, he had observed hatred on five different continents. He had traveled everywhere. to places around the world where people were in violent conflict with one another. And yet he was so bullish on our entire species. It seemed like maybe he was just naive or sheltered. But as I got to know him better, it was clear that the opposite was true.

You know, he had observed hatred on five different continents. He had traveled everywhere. to places around the world where people were in violent conflict with one another. And yet he was so bullish on our entire species. It seemed like maybe he was just naive or sheltered. But as I got to know him better, it was clear that the opposite was true.

You know, he had observed hatred on five different continents. He had traveled everywhere. to places around the world where people were in violent conflict with one another. And yet he was so bullish on our entire species. It seemed like maybe he was just naive or sheltered. But as I got to know him better, it was clear that the opposite was true.

When Emil was born, his mother developed severe schizophrenia. She was unable to raise him. She lived unhoused for many years. His childhood was enormously difficult. And yet, although she had gone through so much suffering, She was always kind to Emil. The way that he put it is that she walked through darkness but showed him only light.

When Emil was born, his mother developed severe schizophrenia. She was unable to raise him. She lived unhoused for many years. His childhood was enormously difficult. And yet, although she had gone through so much suffering, She was always kind to Emil. The way that he put it is that she walked through darkness but showed him only light.

When Emil was born, his mother developed severe schizophrenia. She was unable to raise him. She lived unhoused for many years. His childhood was enormously difficult. And yet, although she had gone through so much suffering, She was always kind to Emil. The way that he put it is that she walked through darkness but showed him only light.

And when he was a teenager, he made the choice during middle school, actually, that he would take her way of living as a challenge, that whatever darkness he faced, he would do his best to spread light. And that's exactly what he did. Tragically, he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018 and he died in 2020. It was, you know, leaving behind a young family and obviously it was just awful.

And when he was a teenager, he made the choice during middle school, actually, that he would take her way of living as a challenge, that whatever darkness he faced, he would do his best to spread light. And that's exactly what he did. Tragically, he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018 and he died in 2020. It was, you know, leaving behind a young family and obviously it was just awful.

And when he was a teenager, he made the choice during middle school, actually, that he would take her way of living as a challenge, that whatever darkness he faced, he would do his best to spread light. And that's exactly what he did. Tragically, he was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018 and he died in 2020. It was, you know, leaving behind a young family and obviously it was just awful.

But even then, he retained his hope. We talked a lot around the time of his diagnosis and he told me that you know, he of course was sad, but you also felt this ball of plasma, this sense of beauty in the world and in humanity that was living inside of him. And he wanted desperately to share with the time he had left.

But even then, he retained his hope. We talked a lot around the time of his diagnosis and he told me that you know, he of course was sad, but you also felt this ball of plasma, this sense of beauty in the world and in humanity that was living inside of him. And he wanted desperately to share with the time he had left.

But even then, he retained his hope. We talked a lot around the time of his diagnosis and he told me that you know, he of course was sad, but you also felt this ball of plasma, this sense of beauty in the world and in humanity that was living inside of him. And he wanted desperately to share with the time he had left.