kojis Posted June 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 And seriously about empathy, I genuinely thought that was utter BS, some behaviour we are supposed to adopt when interacting socially - and quite a basic trading skill I've become comfortable with. Yet I really doubted it naturally existed. Had to read those psychological essays about personality types to wonder a bit further. It seems some types do react much more deeply to others' feelings...but how deep I don't know... I really have a hard time empathising with strangers, and even not so strangers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 Sure you can...if you want to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kojis Posted June 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 "Sure you can...if you want to " That's exactly what I meant... it's really one basic skills taught in the selling books... the question is if wether empathy does really exist as a genuine natural feeling? Yet if it doesn't, than one shouldn't give a shit about war crimes, mass murders, child rapes etc etc... but if one just cares about a child rape because he's afraid for his own child for instance, does it count? Will that person admit he /she actually doesn't give a flying fuck for unknown kids getting raped or sliced into thin pieces but just care for his own child, which is IMO a very natural feeling but not quite presentable that way publicly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 Empathy is probably a question of degree. One can empathize with someone but that doesn't mean you want to take them home and let them live in the spare room. I think most people are disgusted by things like child rape for what it says about society and us as a species. If you are related to the victim no doubt your empathy is even greater. I don't know about your case kojis. Maybe you are callous or just playing the tough guy. I don't care either way. You may even be perfectly normal. I think the way we get bombarded with news these days does make it harder to feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustian Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 Very few possess empathy... What you've described is sympathy...others peoples misfortune pluckss at our heart strings. A lot of it is conditioned response. Empathy is indeed rare, most people are extremely selfish, but unaware of it, or if they are aware, counter their acts of selfishness with acts of 'kindness' so they can feel self righteous and justified, which is in fact a selfish self interested act...guilt plays an amusing role at some point. The ability to see the world through someone elses eyes is so rare it is unlikely you will meet many with such an ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 Empathy is a feeling reserved for people who are Pathetic. Even though the OP is Pathetic I have no Empathy for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kojis Posted June 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 "Even though the OP is Pathetic I have no Empathy for him. " And you've seen him yesterday getting a few beers thrown at him on your local pub, right my boy ? Next you should give him advice about his wages, right very little boy "Empathy is indeed rare, most people are extremely selfish, but unaware of it, or if they are aware, counter their acts of selfishness with acts of 'kindness' so they can feel self righteous and justified, which is in fact a selfish self interested act...guilt plays an amusing role at some point. " Interesting post - and thank you for the clarifiation between sympathy and empathy- pretty much the way I see it, any option we chose is toward our self interest but many people won't admit it. And education had a big role on getting us concerned of other's misfortunes. Funny how the chinese for instance seem to be way more cold hearted on this matter than the westerners. "The ability to see the world through someone elses eyes is so rare it is unlikely you will meet many with such an ability." They're prolly up there on top of the pyramid... in trade it's really important to try to view things the way your interlocutor view them. It's kind of relaxing after work actually to chat with people whose opinion of ourselves is so irrelevant we don't need to make the effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kojis Posted June 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 "I think the way we get bombarded with news these days does make it harder to feel. " That's one aspect, plus what is the point of the news?? Inform or thrill?? Public is moved by tragedy but also excited, don't give him blood and misery for evening news and he won't enjoy his dinner. A lot of hypocrisy in people's sympathy. "Man bites Dog" is prolly the movie of reference on the topic, although we're straying away from the thread's main subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted June 24, 2007 Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 Tragedy probably doesn't mean much to most of us until it affects us personally. I don't think anybody is immune to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kojis Posted June 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2007 "Tragedy probably doesn't mean much to most of us until it affects us personally. I don't think anybody is immune to it." Sure. And one of the reasons someone is affected to strangers' tragedies is because he can fathom the same events touching his entourage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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