Writing Everyday #16
The life of an empath has a particularly ironic challenge. Many lessons in society, lessons we try to teach our children (at least in my upbringing), involve looking from someone else's point of view. "You can't judge someone if you didn't go through what they did." This is absurd, we all have different lives and so by that logic would not be able to judge, defend or distance anyone.
I believe I am empathetic (though some might disagree). This means when I perceive other people's pain, sadness, or joy, it effects my own. I have a really hard time talking to a parent ignoring their crying 3 year old. I fear, when I have children, I will be a pushover to any complaint.
This does not mean I have sympathy for someone who's pain I feel. If someone is grieving because they have failed to kill more innocent people, I can see the grief, understand what they feel and yet believe they deserve to be removed from society.