I have always felt a deep sadness when I see someone in pain. When people share their struggles, I feel bad for them and sometimes even overwhelmed by their sorrow. But no matter how much I wish, I could never really understand what they are going through, I never truly do. I sympathize but I do not empathize.
I recognize suffering and I genuinely want people to feel better but I do not absorb their emotions the way an empathetic person does. When someone cries, I feel bad but I do not feel the same lump in my throat. When someone grieves, I offer comfort but I do not feel the burden of their loss. It is not that I do not care. I do. But there is always a distance between their pain and my emotions.
This makes me question whether kindness is enough without emotional connection. People Sometimes assume that caring means feeling exactly what someone else feels, but maybe that is not always possible. I feel emotions strongly, but I still do not experience them the way they do. My concern is real and my intentions are honest but something in me stays detached.
Maybe that is what separates sympathy from empathy. I care but with a certain distance. I feel for people but I do not feel with them. If emotions do not truly connect, does it change what my care is worth?
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