em-pa-thy
[em-puh-thee]
noun
1. The intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thought, or attitudes of another.
2. The imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself: By means of empathy, a great painting becomes a mirror of the self.
noun
1. The intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thought, or attitudes of another.
2. The imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself: By means of empathy, a great painting becomes a mirror of the self.
The meaning and implementation of this word have a big impact on my life.
The definition under the number 1 can be so over used in regards to my job. If I empathize with the person at my window that means I feel and share their pain. Lots of people stand at my window. I do not empathize with all of them. Thank goodness! Maybe that is hard or mean spirited of me. If I felt empathy for every person that was arrested or filed a report my job would wear me out in a very short time. (See the heebie jebbies posts for a good example.) So if you do something stupid, and get caught, and it causes you problems, I probably don't empathize with you. That does not mean I won't be courteous or helpful. Just that I don't care to share your pain. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed by.....say a drunk driver, then you have my full empathy. It bothers me. The more true victims there are, the more I have to empathize with. This can be painful. It wears on me. This is where a dark sense of humor helps. I find ways to laugh at human misery. It does not mean I do not share the pain. It means I have shared too much.
The definition under the number 1 can be so over used in regards to my job. If I empathize with the person at my window that means I feel and share their pain. Lots of people stand at my window. I do not empathize with all of them. Thank goodness! Maybe that is hard or mean spirited of me. If I felt empathy for every person that was arrested or filed a report my job would wear me out in a very short time. (See the heebie jebbies posts for a good example.) So if you do something stupid, and get caught, and it causes you problems, I probably don't empathize with you. That does not mean I won't be courteous or helpful. Just that I don't care to share your pain. If you or someone you love has been injured or killed by.....say a drunk driver, then you have my full empathy. It bothers me. The more true victims there are, the more I have to empathize with. This can be painful. It wears on me. This is where a dark sense of humor helps. I find ways to laugh at human misery. It does not mean I do not share the pain. It means I have shared too much.
The definition under the number 2 can be a major factor in releasing (or causing) stress. What kind of "painting" can I create that would mirror myself that would cause others to feel empathy? Is this part of the desire to create that often leaves me feeling frustrated? The attempt to capture an emotion that will cause others or myself, to feel something? I try to enjoy the simplest beauty I see around me. Stopping and recognizing little things and taking pleasure from them makes me feel better about myself and my day. I find things in nature please my eye and I find myself trying to "frame" a picture of it in my mind. When the sky is beautiful I think of places to go to capture it best. Of course flowers capture my attention. Faces can be interesting to photograph but I haven't had much chance to get creative. My inexperience and the lack of a willing model has left me with few chances to experiment. What does it say about me when I share "these things". What, if anything, does this have to do with my feeble attempts to put my thoughts down in words? Is it looking for empathy, or looking to cause empathy in others? Maybe some of both? I am not comfortable with the thought that I would be looking for empathy. Why? What bad could come from someone feeling empathy for something I share? Simple answers might be correct but I might need to poke this with a stick a little bit longer and see what "little monster" shows up.
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