Dictionary
em·pa·thy
ˈempəTHē/
noun
- the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
This question has been on my mind lately.
Is it learned? By experience....if you go through the same pain or hurt then you can recognize it in others?
Is it taught? By others telling you how they feel and by you caring about that person and trying to understand emotionally what they are going through?
Why so many questions about empathy?
Well some people simply don't have it.
So much so, I am beginning to think that it is an actual gene people are lacking.
If the hurt/pain is not happening to them, well good luck with the fact that you are dealing with it, not them.
Cases in point:
Someone hurt you. You tell them by expressing your displeasure, or being mad or sad or upset or even simply telling them that they hurt you.
They say "SOOOOORRRRRY then!" like they were forced or coerced into saying something they didn't feel they needed to because they do not believe you. And they are just saying it so that this awkward, uncomfortable feeling you are putting ON THEM will stop.
It is still about them.
No understanding about how the other person feels.
No empathy there.
Or punishment for doing harm to others. When robbers get caught. SORRRYYY and maybe even some tears. But only because they got caught. Not because they have empathy for how they affected other people's lives.
Or expressing how you are bummed that your vacation is ruined by a deadly typhoon while people that live in that area are losing homes or being injured or dying.
I'm seeing a lot of this lately. No empathy, no understanding of other people's feelings.
Very much part of this ever growing ME society.
MY feelings, not your feelings.
Only until people start actually caring about other people than themselves will they have the ability to have empathy.
But yea, whiners, and people who deem themselves helpless but they have full capacity and abilities to help themselves, I have no empathy for....but that's another post.
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