There’s a huge difference between sympathy and empathy, between “I’m sorry” and “I’ve been there.” It’s not that sympathy is bad, not at all. It’s just that empathy invites a connection sympathy simply can’t.
Sympathy says, “I feel sorry for you,” while empathy declares, “I am you.” Sympathy requires you to find compassion — from a distance — for another’s misfortune. Empathy demands that you revisit your own pain in order to relate to someone else’s.
Scott Stabile
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The next time you’re inclined to sympathize,
see if there’s really an opportunity
to empathize
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