Plain and simply, I think they are the things that today's technology and consumption-oriented lifestyle has taken from humans and their absence is obvious in that we don't communicate like we used to. What with the texting-instead-of-meeting-in-person way of communication and the self-absorption modern humans have developed, it is difficult to not only care for another person as much as we should, but we actually say things that hurt others, only because we don't take their feelings into consideration. So yes, I do think that empathy is very important to social relationships, but it unfortunately fades into the background to make space for plastic relationships and fake connections.