There's a reason I said explicitly "potentially ego-driven". It's up to OP to decide. There's a difference between projecting vs trying to relate and empathize

There's a reason I said explicitly "potentially ego-driven". It's up to OP to decide. There's a difference between projecting vs trying to relate and empathize. And I didn't say I'm going to be 100% correct, it's an interpretation, and I hope it's one that the OP will appreciate, if not immediately then at least in retrospect.