Empathy

I was talking to someone recently who told me that they are an empath. They claimed that they are able to read people's auras. I assure you, they told me,
I read people's energy. The person went on to report specific instances where they felt successful in reading people...

Instantly seeking proof one way or another, I handed the Zoom call over to my daughter and she and I allowed the caller to "read" my daughter.
The "read" was hilariously, hilariously inaccurate.

The person went on to tell me that I am so empathetic and I, too, could be an empath.  🤣

I'm on social media about as much as the next person and I notice many claims of people being empaths. It's like the new Wicca of ten years ago, a place of empowerment for people feeling disempowered or disenfranchised. It's very trendy to be an empath these days.

 

Is anybody interested in my thoughts about this?

Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of another person.

As for being an empath, my experience is that people claiming such things enjoy suggesting some sort of mystical energy is visible or sensible to them. So-called empaths claim to take on the energy/emotion/vibe of other people. Even to experience vibes of those far away from them or to experience the actual physical pain of others. In fact, those who claim to be empaths have a variety of claims of these exceptional powers of awareness and knowledge.
And, at the risk of offending a number of readers, I think it is an effort of people who are feeling particularly disconnected and powerless to reclaim some personal power, not dissimilar to how I think of Wiccan. These things seem very faddish to me.

 Also, I'm convinced that those who have undergone trauma, who have spent years reading the violence of others, who are looking for empowerment, are extremely empathic...

Furthermore, we humans do read the emotions of others. We do notice ourselves feeling energy-depleted after being in a crowd. We do sense when others are experiencing something, even if we can't name it. Humans experience the emotions of books and movies, tht's what books and movies are intended to do! Humans are soothed by nature...It's fricking human.

Go read any website claiming to tell you who is an empath.
You WILL be an empath by their standards. 🤣

 

I think we can all agree that some people are very sensitive to the feelings of others and some people do seem to experience emotions and events quite deeply. Most of us know humans who are highly-sensitive in one way or another. This deeper sensitivity often takes a toll on the highly-sensitive people. The deeper empathy can make these people feel very vulnerable, exhausted, even lonely. It's not a thing they brag about...

As for the idea of an empath, I could not be more skeptical. This self-claim of exceptional powers of energy-reading truly ring my bullshit-o-meter bell. The person who made this claim to me recently was weirdly bragging about how special they were and how, with a little effort, I, too, could be an empath. UTTER WOO.

Good grief. It was like watching a movie or something. Look at me. Appreciate my specialness. Notice my uniqueness. Acknowledge how very myyyystical I am. I must be seen as special!!!

Good grief.
All of these claims of mystical empaths are nothing more than our country's acceptance of bullshit and our willingness to believe extraordinary claims without extraordinary proof. TYPICAL of our dumbed-down world.

 

As for the person on the phone, our relationship is not a close one and I very much doubt it will ever be...
Don't worry, I'm not being randomly and instantly judgey, this person and I have had an extremely contentious relationship as adults...It's exhausting.

What do you think?