hard to put up a post between the last one and the likely one that will follow tomorrow's memorial service, but i thought this was appropriate and fit some of the recurring themes on this blog...
erin and i were discussing the differences between sympathy and empathy, and both realized we didn't have a great idea of the differences between the two. i had always thought that one of them dealt with a sharing in emotions because of one's prior similar experiences. kinda right.
both words describe the sharing of feelings with another person. sympathy can be used very generally, for any feeling or emotion. empathy involves shared feelings, but usually describes the sharer with a deeper sense of feeling the actual emotion. no need for prior experience, but that's probably what had been explained to me before as empathy.
right now, either works, but not as good as a much simpler word: sad.
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2 comments:
Hi Fink,
Ara sent me the link to your blog after we got in touch about Ray. All I can say is "sad" is right. The world lost a great man far too early. My thoughts and prayers are with Deb and her daughters. Wishing you and your family a brighter joyful Christmas.
Jen Deason
jen- thanks for checking in, and for the christmas wishes! right back at you.
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