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Category Archives: Empathy
Fiction and Reality, One and the Same
There was a time, not so long ago, that I found it easy to write about fictional dystopian horrors, experiences unlike anything I ever experienced. My imagination allowed me to picture those ghastly nightmares as a dispassionate observer, watching through … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Covid-19, Empathy, Writing
2 Comments
Mediterranean Course Correction
I inquired of Google this morning: “What is the Mediterranean lifestyle?” The first answer I found—and the one I intend on adapting as my own—was this, from a blog entitled, The Mediterranean Dish in a post labeled Live the Mediterranean … Continue reading
Posted in Change, Compassion, Doing Without, Empathy, Essay, Generosity, Philosophy, Ruminations, Self-discipline, Selfishness
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Unbearable Mistakes
A quote attributed to North Carolina Republican Congressman Walter Jones, who died yesterday, saddens and moves me. “I did not do what I should have done to read and find out whether Bush was telling us the truth about Saddam … Continue reading
Posted in Empathy, Justice, Regret
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Real Life Lessons
Let me be unkind for a moment, if you don’t mind. I feel like expressing my perceptions of a guy with whom I’ve shared space in the waiting room while lingering in anticipation of my radiation therapy. Don’t assume I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Cancer, Civility, Compassion, Empathy, Health
4 Comments
The Fundamental Goodness of Humankind
It didn’t take long yesterday for the friendship and generosity within the “tribe” to which I attach myself to spill over into the wider world. I wrote that I had promised someone I would give him a ride to and … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Empathy
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Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep
Several weeks ago, I assured someone I would be happy to take him to doctor visits and other medical appointments when he needed me to do it. Last evening, I received an email from him, asking me to help him … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Empathy
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A Song for You
If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn, they will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem. Who, on reading or listening to those words from Leonard Cohen’s Sisters of Mercy, … Continue reading
Posted in Empathy, Music, Poetry
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Reflecting on What’s to Come
Let me preface my comments with these words: I absolutely despise Donald Trump; I believe he is a despicable human being whose rise to the Presidency cannot be explained entirely with logic. How a madman with the capacity to undermine … Continue reading
Posted in Communication, Compassion, Education, Empathy, Philosophy, Politics, Wisdom
2 Comments
Assigning Worth
It seems to me that people who need help to escape poverty generally do not need, nor want, handouts. They need a break. They need a chance to demonstrate their worth in a world in which value is too often measured … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Empathy, Philosophy, Poverty
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What Are We—What Am I—Going to Do About This?
Chance encounters sometimes lead one to think about things that might rarely bubble to the surface of consciousness were it not for prompting by that meeting. Yesterday was one such occasion. While attending a Garvan Gardens workshop entitled Cooking with Fresh Herbs: … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Empathy, Justice, Philosophy
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Life of the Party
Some people thrive on their reputations, crafted with meticulous care. They seem to believe their own hype, buying into the stories they tell others in their efforts to be more vibrant, more alive, more interesting. I know this because I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Depression, Empathy
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Strengths
I’ve written before about the weakness people tend to associate with others, especially men, who do not or cannot control certain emotions. Here, I’m talking about men who tear up, cry, or otherwise react in an “effeminate” manner in circumstances … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Emotion, Empathy
6 Comments
Eye-Opening Memory
Today, I was able to restore an old blog I once deleted. It’s a long story, not worth re-telling, but what is worth telling is that I found a post I treasured from the day I wrote it. I hated … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Empathy, Materialism
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Homelessness on My Mind
Some days are ugly. Some days are hideous. But if those days are disturbing, just think how their corresponding nights must be sinister and unsettling in the extreme. Several days this past week have been stifling. As I walked through … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Empathy, Just Thinking
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The City
I can imagine living in the city, right in the heart of the city, waking early to seek out breakfast from street vendors or little hole-in-the-wall dives that open early so they can capture every possible customer in their efforts … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Doing Without, Empathy
1 Comment
Steam
I admit it. I am intolerant of raw stupidity, stupidity fueled by emotional reactions to issues that require intellect for understanding. Were I more understanding, I might grasp that emotional responses are the only ones available to some people; I … Continue reading
Posted in Emotion, Empathy, Intellect, Rant
5 Comments
The Message
This is a spectacularly moving commercial for a Thai insurance company. I do not think any more of the insurance company for sponsoring the commercial, but the message is wonderful.
My Own Cage
Some days, we question things we shouldn’t question. Some days, we fail to question things that deserve reproach. Some days, we create our own ugly cages from which escape is impossible and, even if it were possible, improper. I see … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Empathy, Philosophy
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Winning the Battle but Losing the Soul
Yesterday, I behaved in a way that is utterly counter to my stated belief in being compassionate and empathetic. Even before the experience was behind me, I felt pangs of guilt and felt bad about the way I was behaving. … Continue reading
Posted in Compassion, Empathy, Regret
6 Comments