Empathy mega-thread

[Carl-Richard]

I just started thinking back to the last day of school when I was 15 where I felt that one of my teachers saw this extremely shy kid that I was, and identified with me, as he was just like me at some point. I've thought about this moment many times, but today I managed to see it from a new perspective, through his very own eyes. I was literally being him in that moment, looking at me, and experiencing what he was thinking and feeling about me. It was very emotional. I wonder if anybody has had anything similar, a very profound experience of empathy, either as it was happening, or retrospectively.

[Grateful Dead]

I had a similar experience when a teacher told me that I'm just different from the others and that's okay too. She always let me be who I am and didn't bother me like the other teachers. It had a huge impact on my whole life because it was the first time I really felt understood and I often revisited that moment until I didn't need to anymore.

[Preety_India]

I experience empathy with people from time to time. Especially those who suffer. 

I guess I used to not have any empathy for bipolar people for a long time. 

Now recently I have been having empathy for bipolar people almost to the point of wanting to hug them. 

It's still difficult though  but I'm trying to expand my heart towards them 

 

 

[AtheisticNonduality]

Years ago had a moral/existential crisis where I experienced what I felt to be the collective suffering of all humankind and even all sentient beings: Suffering as capitalized. Famines, bloodstained sands of desert murders and wars, diseases, etc. I remember vividly this was by a Christmas tree in November 2019. I've had occurrences like this since, but that was the most beautiful one by far: the realization of the beauty of Suffering---though I was despaired and pained and terrified by it.

[Chives99]

I develop high levels of empathy when I increase my level of consciousness, when inside of me is an empty shell their is only love for everything that is or isnt depends on how you look at it 

[Danioover9000]

   Depending on the peeson, empathy has different types and degrees. If I came across a person, and in our small talk I learned he plays chess, I can emphasize with that 'chess player' because I too play chess. If I came across a person who's sad, I can relate, even if later in the convo I learned she's sad for being kicked out of an online game community because she cheated, which changes my empathy for her. Despite not being exactly a gamer cheater in the past, if asked if I could emphasize, I can when I substitute that to me getting kicked out of a group because I wasn't good enough or slowing down the team, or just for being weird, so if it turns out her motivations for cheating is similar to mine, because the game was too hard and she needed the A.I engine to calculate moves, or if this was F.P.S, she'd use aim bot to shot properly because of wrist problems, then I'd emphasize more.

   What's the difference between empathy, sympathy and pity? Do any of these need past direct experience?

[Preety_India]

Just now, Danioover9000 said:

What's the difference between empathy, sympathy and pity? Do any of these need past direct experience?

Empathy is understanding to the point you begin to feel how they feel and so can relate and understand, more like sharing. You may or may not provide emotional support but you will not be insensitive and you might even do bigger things to bring social change in the future to create awareness of such suffering, you might even go on a crusade to put an end to such suffering or to heal or find a solution. 

Sympathy means you acknowledge that someone is feeling bad yet you can't exactly relate or understand how they feel but you (out of social custom or politeness) at least acknowledge the suffering. You might even want to take action out of sympathy or provide emotional support. 

 

Pity means you feel sorry for them and lend them a temporary hand or even insult them and feel no interest in resolving their issues. This can be condescending and patronizing. You feel sorry for them and see it as a lost cause.

 

[Loving Radiance]

Back in October I was at an ISTA training. In the pod meeting (small sharing circle of 5) we talked about things that came up for us since the day before or things which are present with us right now. It was always a good time for deep talk, to enjoy and listen to the people in my pod and to recognize them as they are, without filters. I have this one moment right before my eyes. The man besides me shared something of emotional nature. I felt so touched and felt him as he was at that moment. There was intense beauty in truly seeing him beyond any conception of relative stuff. It was a recognition of him; how he revealed himself as a person with his already perfect personality and inherent humanity. Being able to witness his raw human being and feeling it so deeply is something that I will hold with myself for a long time.

In a group coaching call almost 3 weeks ago one participant shared his triggers which happened during the week and how he was dealing with them. He told us how he was thinking that the triggers came from his past. While explaining his trigger and us now knowing his past, he said, "Everybody who loved me abandoned me." He fucking broke down when he said it, and we all cried or were an emotional mess too. God, the pain in believing that from all these experiences. The innocence of believing himself to be wrong and this being the reason why everybody left him. The beauty in the pain feels so good... No, the pain itself is already good to feel. And there is beauty in feeling the shared pain.   These are the times I'm so grateful to experience the depth of this human experience.

[Manusia]

When I drive my motorcycle to the city form my home. I drive with calm mind, but idk in the middle of forehead there is strange sensation in it. Then suddenly I have experience seeing much of random memory.. Like.. Flashes.. Multiple flashes. Its all happened like sudden insight. I don't know this memory belong to who. Or this is my past life.. (Because I feel familiar to europe things even I am purely southeast asian) ... I don't know either. I have so many glimpse of different people experience, I see them in POV from their eyes. 

All of them are soldiers girls that fight in the battle. All of them have the same time of war. The world war I (I searched the uniform and its matched). 

They fight in muddy place. I sense that the place of the scene happen in a cold place. Its all dark and there just moonlight to lightnen the forest. I smell the fresh mud, the pine.. I feel the cold air that blow through their skin. Like its my own experience. I sense it all. 

The worst part is all of them is murdered by men soldier. One of pov show that the girl sticked with the knife that strapped in the rifle to her eye by the enemies. Most of them killed with gun. 

I feel their despair. Their sense of hopelessness and resentment why the world such a cruel place. 

I cannot hold the emotion that the memories gave to me. Its very huge. I cannot hold it, my head just blow up if I try to resist the emotion. I cried it all then. 

My mouth talk without I command it 'What the fuck is this fuckin world!' 'What the fuckk!' 'What the fuck!' 'What the fuckk!' 'What the fuckk! ' I repeat it again so many times until the emotion vanished. 

Wow.. Who the fuck happened to meme last second. What is that experience?! 

(I remember that there is nazi flag. But I forget is that in my character costume or the enemies) 

Edited May 27, 2022 by Manusia

[integral]

When i was younger i empathized with my parents choices life trajectory and struggle for the first time, i never saw them the same way after that. A different relationship began.