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thing i'd like to expand on:
notice how i used 'compassion' in place of 'empathy' in the previous thread? let's talk about that
thing i'd like to expand on:notice how i used 'compassion' in place of 'empathy' in the previous thread? let's talk about that
empathy is considered an essential part of the human experience, and it may come as a surprise to many people that it actually isn't!
some mental disorders make you have a very low capacity for empathy or lack it altogether
some mental disorders make you have a very low capacity for empathy or lack it altogether
and i don't mean empathy as in the ability to recognize that another living being is Feeling Something and to tell what those feelings are;
i mean empathy as in feeling along.
feeling happy, sad, hurt, uncomfortable along with someone else
i mean empathy as in feeling along.
feeling happy, sad, hurt, uncomfortable along with someone else
having low/no empathy doesn't mean that you're an inconsiderate asshole. it means that you don't feel the emotions that the other person is feeling! that's pretty much it!
a lack of empathy is part of my szpd. i can't be sad when you're sad, nor can i be happy for you. i won't feel the urge to help or console. i'll get slightly uncomfortable when you Express Things around me aaand i'll prolly be oblivious to subtext until you tell me. that's it!
i won't go out of my way to hurt anyone. i won't enjoy people's suffering just because it makes me feel nothing much otherwise. i won't ditch a friend in need or manipulate them or idk eat a baby or whatever it is that people mean when they say "they just have no empathy!"
empathy isn't essential to being a decent human person. it makes total sense why people imply otherwise, but it's really not.
an empath can be a total assface, just as much as someone who lacks empathy can be considerate, understanding and kind
an empath can be a total assface, just as much as someone who lacks empathy can be considerate, understanding and kind
in fact, i'll pull a sneaky and even say that being there for someone even though you don't have any additional motivation to do so, when it even makes you uncomfortable - helping them just because they're a friend and you know it's right - is the biggest dick move right there
if you have a non-empath friend and they've gone out of their way to help you, hang on to them. well. hang on to anyone who does so. but if they're also no empathy? bonus points. super bonus points and a winning lottery ticket. super bonus points, a winning ticket and a castle
and thus, the word that most people mean when they say "you need empathy to be a good person" is not empathy in itself, it's compassion - the ability to recognize that the ppl around you have feelings and the knowledge that every one of them has a right to be treated with respect
tl;dr: empathy is a hoax invented by the government to sell live laugh love posters
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follow for more microwaved takes and occasional art
