A truly excellent thought piece. Well written with a great many cogent, compelling points. On topic and on target the author’s fine words.
I would only propose two changes: instead of “The War On..” perhaps “Empathy Under Attack” or The Emptiness of a World Without Empathy”, etc.
As well, instead of “fighting” for an empathetic world, perhaps we could seek out commonalities that enable us to build cohesive, caring communities that serve to foster feelings of empathy and love for one another.
Many thanks for this insight. I thought I would share with you a brief extract from my book, Growl, in which I explain the differences I see.
"Sympathy, empathy, and compassion are siblings in a family of nouns that describe a concern for others. Each one has a different personality. (I dislike including pity in this lexicon as it suggests a condescending attitude based on a belief in one’s own superiority.) Whereas sympathy connotes some degree of fellow-feeling, and empathy suggests that you are in some way relating to what the subject of your attention is experiencing, compassion as I see it is about extending one’s cognitive, emotional, imaginative, and even physical sensibilities to the other being and acting to lessen or end that suffering. In its emphasis on moving one from a position of passive interest to engagement, compassion is for me a key value in animal rights. It is compassion’s inherent ability to motivate us to do something about the affliction we’re encountering that makes it so special and fundamental."
This is a beautifully articulated distinction between sympathy, empathy, and compassion. I really appreciate the way you emphasize compassion as an active force, something that moves beyond feeling and into action. That’s such a crucial perspective, especially in the context of animal rights, where awareness alone isn’t enough. It’s the willingness to do something that truly defines the movement. The idea of extending our cognitive, emotional, and even physical sensibilities to another being really resonates. Thanks for sharing this excerpt! ( Readers, Kim's book is available here: https://amzn.to/4kxCojP )
A truly excellent thought piece. Well written with a great many cogent, compelling points. On topic and on target the author’s fine words.
I would only propose two changes: instead of “The War On..” perhaps “Empathy Under Attack” or The Emptiness of a World Without Empathy”, etc.
As well, instead of “fighting” for an empathetic world, perhaps we could seek out commonalities that enable us to build cohesive, caring communities that serve to foster feelings of empathy and love for one another.
Many thanks for this insight. I thought I would share with you a brief extract from my book, Growl, in which I explain the differences I see.
"Sympathy, empathy, and compassion are siblings in a family of nouns that describe a concern for others. Each one has a different personality. (I dislike including pity in this lexicon as it suggests a condescending attitude based on a belief in one’s own superiority.) Whereas sympathy connotes some degree of fellow-feeling, and empathy suggests that you are in some way relating to what the subject of your attention is experiencing, compassion as I see it is about extending one’s cognitive, emotional, imaginative, and even physical sensibilities to the other being and acting to lessen or end that suffering. In its emphasis on moving one from a position of passive interest to engagement, compassion is for me a key value in animal rights. It is compassion’s inherent ability to motivate us to do something about the affliction we’re encountering that makes it so special and fundamental."
This is a beautifully articulated distinction between sympathy, empathy, and compassion. I really appreciate the way you emphasize compassion as an active force, something that moves beyond feeling and into action. That’s such a crucial perspective, especially in the context of animal rights, where awareness alone isn’t enough. It’s the willingness to do something that truly defines the movement. The idea of extending our cognitive, emotional, and even physical sensibilities to another being really resonates. Thanks for sharing this excerpt! ( Readers, Kim's book is available here: https://amzn.to/4kxCojP )