Convention wisdom states that humanity’s capacity for empathy has allowed us, as a species, to prosper. Individuals who lack empathy–psychopaths, sociopaths, anti-social personality disordered folk–are rightly feared due to the harm they bring to communities. An individual typically does not have a constant level of “empathy:” A persons ability to understand and care for another’s emotional state is influence by a number of physical, psychological and sociological factors. How one recoups a loss of empathy can be as simple as this:

That’s right, drinking a beer. A Beneficial Empathic Enhancement Regimens. Beer, a depressant, can help lower internal psychic barriers allowing one to feel more for their fellow human being. Over indulging in this Regimen can, and typically does, depresses psychic barriers to a point of incoherent emotional states (sobbing, anger, mania). Therefore, one must be careful to not to over indulge in this very specific medicine.
The warning aside, B.E.E.R. can help you find common ground with your fellow person. So if you’re feeling out of touch, out of sorts, do yourself–and your fellow human–a huge benefit. Have a goddamn beer.
(With a tip of the hat to Anna for giving me the idea for this post)