Competitiveness Versus Empathy

When dealing with others, do we try to put them ‘right’ or, through empathy, investigate the background to the situation?

In the ‘media’, it is as if we are being trained just to react, but not to look at the real cause of a situation.
If we allow ourselves to be led to believe one thing, it is easier to then believe further suppositions.
In that case, is the process deliberate?

Empathy is the wisdom of understanding why things come about,
and how they are maintained.

Empathy is our protection-cord.