For many, the idea of empathy lacks its luster. For some, the inability to place themselves in someone else’s shoes is a horrifying reality. To witness horror, to see pain and suffering and not be moved by, isn’t easy to understand. To be one of these people and not assume that misfortune and tragedy will never be experienced, don’t gloat too soon. Knowing the experience of others is someone else’s fantasy. A fantasy that comes from watching a movie, or reading a mystery, does not qualify for being on a war battlefield. The thought spent on fantasies or dreams cannot replace the truth that others endure every day.
Since we’re all affected by emotion, much of that is the refusal to absorb any layer of human feeling. Having the ability to meet that feeling and understand human episodes can be disconcerting, and if so, counseling is recommended. To my disappointment, lacking in anything worthwhile is a mistake that remains forever where the lack of exposure runs rampant. Maneuvering your way through life without skinning your knee or breaking your leg, there is much missing from your life. The missing links of living in a bubble protected from the outside world do not qualify you as empathetic.
This Article was Last Updated On: February 12, 2021