Tim McGraw has one wish for the world today, and it isn’t a cure for COVID-19, or the end to world hunger, or any other lofty goal. The Louisiana native really wants just one thing, which has far more to do with how people treat each other than anything else.

“My simple wish is really and truly about one word: it’s empathy,” Tim shared in an interview with Blair Garner. “More empathy in the world. I think we’ve lost a lot of empathy in the world today. Sure, there are incredible people out there, and there are incredible thought-provoking people; people out there doing really good things. But I wish for the world to have more empathy … Try to see someone else’s perspective.”

Tim is known for his soft side, which has come out in several of his songs, including “Humble and Kind,” “My Little Girl,” and his current single, “I Called Mama,” released in honor of his own mother, Betty D’Agostino.

“My mom worked hard,” Tim boasted. “She was a go-getter. She always tried to do her best and provide for us, and there were times when that was almost impossible. The thing my mom always taught us, that I always remember is, ‘Always have dreams.’ Dream bigger than your circumstances. And always treat people nicely. Treat people kind.”

Tim’s own troubled childhood helped shape him into the husband and father he is today, even though it wasn’t easy.

“When you grow up seeing that sort of thing, for me, that was certainly not the way I wanted to raise my family,” Tim said, speaking of the domestic violence he witnessed. “That was specific in my mind for me, from the very beginning, when I knew I wanted to start a family, I fail all the time. I fail every day as a father, as a husband, as a son as a brother. But you always get back up and try harder.”

Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Debby Wong