I feel numb to other people's suffering
in Psychology & Therapy ·
velvetharbor47 said:A lack of empathy isn't actually your flaw—it’s a problem for the people expecting it from you when it doesn't show up.
That whole story about the kid in the news? That's just standard media fare. You aren't responsible for a child passing away, and honestly, kids die way more often than the headlines would have you believe. If we actually stopped to grieve every single tragedy, we'd all be walking around dehydrated. It's a harsh reality, but it's true. 🤷
Anyway, judging by your post, you clearly have a conscience. These days, there are plenty of people performing "empathy" for an audience, but very few who actually possess a genuine sense of right and wrong.
So, you're actually ahead of the curve here. Besides, empathy is easy enough to fake if the situation ever really calls for it. 😉
Yeah, exactly. 😉
I’m highly empathetic—by some definitions, anyway. I can practically feel what someone else is going through, and honestly, it gets on my nerves sometimes. But trying to comfort someone, or heaven forbid, crying because someone else is hurting? That’s never been my thing... and I don't really try to change that. I just think when someone is down, they usually move past it faster if you don't dwell on it or keep rehashing everything that went wrong... 🤷