I’m sickened by the sheer volume of people who cannot show empathy towards other people little alone sympathy.
Have you ever put yourself in someone else’s shoes and really thought before you replied something that was so cold hearted and harsh.
Real empathy is about being able to feel someone else’s pain. I cannot imagine going through life without the ability to show both empathy and sensitivity.
Sometimes in life you have to suspend your own opinions and be able to both empathize and sympathize with the pain that someone else is going through.
Are you able to show empathy?
I’m not talking about sympathy here where you sympathize with another’s pain, but actually empathy, when you feel their pain for you have put yourself in their shoes.
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5 responses so far ↓
Wrote: May 8, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Most of the time yes.
If I don’t have it in me I try to refrain from saying anything.
Wrote: May 8, 2007 at 7:22 pm
I’m not sure what the above topic is about or referring to, but in order to feel empathy, one has to have had the same experience. I know for a long time I didn’t understand the truma one goes through during and after divorce. I could always sympathize with the person. It wasn’t until I went through divorce myself, that I could really show empathy for others dealing with the same. Empathy is one of those painful life lessons that involves you directly. Empathy actually makes you more sensitive to others. Those who have never lost a loved one suddenly can only sympathize with someone who has. Having recently experienced such a loss, I now can empathize, because I too have felt the pain, shock and hurt first hand of suddenly losing a loved one. Refering back to the above, I’m not sure what I should be sympathetic or empathetice about. Perhaps it relates to a topic I didn’t read, if so my apologies to the author.
Wrote: May 9, 2007 at 8:43 am
I agree with Neal that much of our sympathy and empathy comes from our own pains and losses. However, I also agree with what Hammer is saying here, when you can’t relate at all, perhaps it is best not to say anythign at all.
Wrote: May 9, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Rose, you have many of us who are normally empathetic and prefer to live that way, hoping we did not rush through a moment and neglect someone’s pain. I think people who are very instinctive are naturally more empathetic than those that aren’t. It is a needed post, unfortunately.
Wrote: May 11, 2007 at 12:50 am
I definetely show empathy towards others too and I think every person should be able to show both empathy and compassion towards others