The age of expecting young people to participate in the future of a country they’re told is deeply racist, or hoping families will stream “Peter Pan” while also telling them that it’s an offensive story – is over.

The next time you watch Star Wars and see a character vanish into the ether or become “one with the Force,” I want you to remember their debts to mankind didn’t vanish along with them. They’re still there. The rest of the galaxy has to live and wrestle with the consequences of their mistakes.

Empathy can make you new friends, turn sworn enemies into faithful allies, and break cycles of endless conflict and contempt. For those least inclined to seek it, the outstretched hand of empathy can light the pathway to redemption. The Star Wars saga is a redemption story, only made possible by characters brave enough to practice empathy. In politics, nothing could be more radical.