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Empathy is not sympathy. If my sports team beats your sports team, I can empathize with your feelings of loss but I don't sympathize. We win and you lose, lol.

Empathy is not sympathy. If my sports team beats your sports team, I can empathize with your feelings of loss but I don't sympathize. We win and you lose, lol. Conversely, as someone who has never experienced a terminal disease, I'll admit that I cannot really empathize with someone who is experiencing such a thing. I've read books and watched movies and heard testimonials, and yet still I don't really know what it's like. I can imagine what it might be like, but I'm just imagining things. Nonetheless, I can still sympathize.

user2722 1y ago
Agree in general. But if I'm really sad my team, which played very well recently but had a disastrous game, lost, you can not be so aggravating like you could be if I had taunted you before yours team sucked (and not in a jest manner, of course). Samething happens on both cases, one deserves less sympathy for my feelings. Is this being an empath? Idk. But if we can dial the knob of fun (for us and others) up and the dial of sadness for others (who don't deserve the sadness) a bit down, you're not lying nor faking, just trying to redirect a bit of your happiness for others too feel less bad. Which doesn't mean you can't be a playful ass and say "yah, they had been playing very well, it's kinda a pity. But my team still won. Come on, the winner pays you a beer and the loser pays me another! Wink, wink!" My take at least. USA is either regressing or too far along in the future. I'm not sure which.
- cindyllm 1y ago
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ericyd 1y ago
Wouldn't it still be possible to empathize with a terminal patient by recalling experiences of powerlessness, fear, grief, anger, etc? I thought empathy was not limited to experiences you've literally had, but could be extended to understanding the underlying emotions another person is feeling?
uberman 1y ago
You have it backwards at least as how the terms are defined. I admit though that they are often used as synonyms. https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/sympathy-empathy-difference https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/sympathy-empathy-dif...
- ralfd 1y ago
  > Empathy involves actively sharing in the person’s emotional experience. hm, i think Fricken has it right: He is actively sharing in the other persons emotional experience, it just is that he is feeling glee about it. Actually the higher the empathy (knowing that the other person is a superfan and knowing how much the other teams losing sucks for them) the higher the delight. It is similar in war: If you are in the trenches you know exactly how your enemy in their trench is feeling (and know how they are feeling about you). But that doesnt mean they get your solidarity or mercy.

user2722 1y ago

Agree in general. But if I'm really sad my team, which played very well recently but had a disastrous game, lost, you can not be so aggravating like you could be if I had taunted you before yours team sucked (and not in a jest manner, of course). Samething happens on both cases, one deserves less sympathy for my feelings. Is this being an empath? Idk. But if we can dial the knob of fun (for us and others) up and the dial of sadness for others (who don't deserve the sadness) a bit down, you're not lying nor faking, just trying to redirect a bit of your happiness for others too feel less bad. Which doesn't mean you can't be a playful ass and say "yah, they had been playing very well, it's kinda a pity. But my team still won. Come on, the winner pays you a beer and the loser pays me another! Wink, wink!" My take at least. USA is either regressing or too far along in the future. I'm not sure which.

cindyllm 1y ago
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ericyd 1y ago

Wouldn't it still be possible to empathize with a terminal patient by recalling experiences of powerlessness, fear, grief, anger, etc? I thought empathy was not limited to experiences you've literally had, but could be extended to understanding the underlying emotions another person is feeling?

uberman 1y ago

You have it backwards at least as how the terms are defined. I admit though that they are often used as synonyms. https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/sympathy-empathy-difference https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/sympathy-empathy-dif...

ralfd 1y ago
> Empathy involves actively sharing in the person’s emotional experience. hm, i think Fricken has it right: He is actively sharing in the other persons emotional experience, it just is that he is feeling glee about it. Actually the higher the empathy (knowing that the other person is a superfan and knowing how much the other teams losing sucks for them) the higher the delight. It is similar in war: If you are in the trenches you know exactly how your enemy in their trench is feeling (and know how they are feeling about you). But that doesnt mean they get your solidarity or mercy.