Hi Brian ~ enjoyed your article today. I could feel your empathy. You are definitely right about empathy making a more caring community & country. And we need more of it.
Not as a debate point, but as a possible discussion point I’d like to mention that some psychologists warn that a person can actually have too much empathy. Hard to believe, right? I had to learn the hard way that too much can cause both mental and physical health problems along with clouded judgment.
Understanding how someone else (especially a disadvantaged, grieving or mentally ill person) feels can be a productive thing, but in some circumstances also destructive. For me as a counselor and Stephen Minister, it caused some depression, stress, migraines — AND dangerous situations. I guess as my mentor advised me: moderation and balance serves all of us well.
Praying for a more compassionate world. I love your heart. Keep writing.
Thank you so much Jan! Yes, I can totally understand how debilitating having an overabundance of empathy can be. I think I'm able to section it off where I can almost turn it on like a switch when I try to think about what someone would be experiencing from a different perspective.
That being said, I'm also a total softy who isn't afraid to cry during movies either and I don't think I have an off switch for that part, haha.
My tears of EMPATHY couldn’t be held back from your incredibly pertinent expose. We appreciate your continuing enlightenments here on Substack, in the newspaper and on Social Media. What you elaborate on is very important for everyone to comprehend!
Hi Brian ~ enjoyed your article today. I could feel your empathy. You are definitely right about empathy making a more caring community & country. And we need more of it.
Not as a debate point, but as a possible discussion point I’d like to mention that some psychologists warn that a person can actually have too much empathy. Hard to believe, right? I had to learn the hard way that too much can cause both mental and physical health problems along with clouded judgment.
Understanding how someone else (especially a disadvantaged, grieving or mentally ill person) feels can be a productive thing, but in some circumstances also destructive. For me as a counselor and Stephen Minister, it caused some depression, stress, migraines — AND dangerous situations. I guess as my mentor advised me: moderation and balance serves all of us well.
Praying for a more compassionate world. I love your heart. Keep writing.
Thank you so much Jan! Yes, I can totally understand how debilitating having an overabundance of empathy can be. I think I'm able to section it off where I can almost turn it on like a switch when I try to think about what someone would be experiencing from a different perspective.
That being said, I'm also a total softy who isn't afraid to cry during movies either and I don't think I have an off switch for that part, haha.
My tears of EMPATHY couldn’t be held back from your incredibly pertinent expose. We appreciate your continuing enlightenments here on Substack, in the newspaper and on Social Media. What you elaborate on is very important for everyone to comprehend!
Thank you so much Vicki. I hope the right people can read my column this week and take a similar lesson/meaning from it.