IMO the absolutely fantastic thing about fantasy and sci fi is that they can illustrate something, usually about human nature, but sometimes abstract concepts like justice, honor, etc - and you don’t have to carry the baggage of real life references: religions, countries, history, etc. Instead the author can craft precisely the components they need to make their point, emphasizing and deemphasizing as needed, without muddying it up with everything else that comes with it. You can also push concepts and situations to extremes without worrying about cross checking against existing social norms.

A sci fi world can put all readers on equal footing to begin with - again readers from different countries and backgrounds will usually have very different starting views, base assumptions, etc. about current and historical events, what was the TRUE cause of xyz, etc. Now, real people of different backgrounds will take it elsewhere, and quickly, but at least they start in a common spot.

I also believe a persons emotional core can be worked like a muscle - I DEFINITELY see the difference between someone who has wandered far afield, lived many lives, experienced many emotional highs and lows and has learned to look through eyes other than their own….. and someone who hasn’t (tends to gravitate towards meritocracy and extreme stoicism and Spartanism, worshipping logic and failing to value emotions properly, cleaving to principles even to the detriment of the well being of people around them). The great paradox to me is why so many young men (I among them, back in the day) can read so much of this, and yet not learn it well and DO act in that rigid way I described.