As a child, my parents always said empathy was my number one strength. It is very rare that you see a little child going up and asking people on the street “what’s wrong”. It is something I’ve always been told but, until several years ago, never fully understood. Here are a couple great points about empathy:
1- it is different than sympathy. Sympathy is when you can comprehend what someone else is going through on a mental level. Empathy is when you understand it on a physical level. When someone is empathetic, even if they have never personally been in the same position as someone, they are able to put themselves in their place and feel for them. It is an amazing thing
2- people with high levels of empathy are more prone to depression. In addition to feeling for themselves, they are always feeling the pains of others as well, making it hard for them to function at times.
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| Comprehension is key |
This was a very interesting post! When I was younger I would always get sympathy and empathy confused. It wasn't until a few years ago that I fully understood the difference. I think it is also so much easier to be sympathetic than empathetic and that it does take a special kind of person to be empathetic, especially with people who aren't their loved ones. Thanks for sharing!
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