Blog entry for:
Sat, Nov 19, 2005 09:10:59 AM
∞ learning a language ∞
posted: Sat, Nov 19, 2005 09:10:59 AM
contemplating the nature of my life today and how it applies to the reading is a process i actually have time to do. when i came to recovery i thought i knew the meaning of the root " pathy ", after all i had experience in the medical field and it usually meant a disease as in pathology -- the study of diseases. what i had forgotten is that the greek word pathos also means feeling or perception. in that context the pathology of my disease of addiction had manifested in the symptom of apathy -- the lack of feeling, and acted in an antisocial manner -- a sociopath. so when i started hearing about empathy, naturally i was confused. some how sympathy and empathy were confused in my silly little head. after all when something bad happens to someone else i offered sympathy, i felt sorry for them and could understand what they were feeling -- a loss. what i needed to learn was how to feel what other people were actually feeling -- empathy.
so what does all the seemingly random musing have to do with the reading this morning. it is my current impression that sympathy is a language of the head -- like french, greek or spanish, i understand intellectually what someone is saying and can reply with the correct phrases. empathy however is a language of the soul, i actually can feel what someone is telling me, their pain, their joy, their excitement and respond with the emotions those feelings invoke in me. their feelings become my feelings and if they are open, they can receive the gift of my concern, pain, joy or hope. i not only understand intellectually what is going on, i understand at a level that i had anesthetized away in my active addiction, hence the apathy, sociopathy.
have i become a true empath? not by a long shot, but at least today i am willing to let the process of learning that language occur. i am more fluent in the language of empathy than i was yesterday, and perhaps if i do not exercise to much self-will, i will be more fluent tomorrow! it is after all a process like everything else in recovery.
∞ DT ∞
so what does all the seemingly random musing have to do with the reading this morning. it is my current impression that sympathy is a language of the head -- like french, greek or spanish, i understand intellectually what someone is saying and can reply with the correct phrases. empathy however is a language of the soul, i actually can feel what someone is telling me, their pain, their joy, their excitement and respond with the emotions those feelings invoke in me. their feelings become my feelings and if they are open, they can receive the gift of my concern, pain, joy or hope. i not only understand intellectually what is going on, i understand at a level that i had anesthetized away in my active addiction, hence the apathy, sociopathy.
have i become a true empath? not by a long shot, but at least today i am willing to let the process of learning that language occur. i am more fluent in the language of empathy than i was yesterday, and perhaps if i do not exercise to much self-will, i will be more fluent tomorrow! it is after all a process like everything else in recovery.
∞ DT ∞
The views expressed on this page are solely the opinion of the author.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.
Another Look!
listening with my heart 271 words ➥ Friday, November 19, 2004 by: donnotμ but as i listened i started to hear something new, a wordless language μ 586 words ➥ Sunday, November 19, 2006 by: donnot
α fluency in the language of empathy comes to me through practice ω 461 words ➥ Monday, November 19, 2007 by: donnot
δ the language of empathy uses few words -- it feels more than it speaks. Δ 498 words ➥ Wednesday, November 19, 2008 by: donnot
± i attended my first meeting and, not being entirely sure ± 541 words ➥ Thursday, November 19, 2009 by: donnot
¦ this addict found from the start as much identification ¦ 773 words ➥ Friday, November 19, 2010 by: donnot
¹ the more i use the language of empathy with other addicts ¹ 317 words ➥ Saturday, November 19, 2011 by: donnot
µ i will listen with my heart µ 656 words ➥ Monday, November 19, 2012 by: donnot
≈ the language of empathy does not preach or lecture -- it listens. ≈ 494 words ➥ Tuesday, November 19, 2013 by: donnot
∅ either i feel as though no one had suffered like i have ∅ 445 words ➥ Wednesday, November 19, 2014 by: donnot
♥ the language of empathy ♥ 429 words ➥ Thursday, November 19, 2015 by: donnot
⪤ empathy comes ⪤ 357 words ➥ Saturday, November 19, 2016 by: donnot
😕 i sometimes am 😵 519 words ➥ Sunday, November 19, 2017 by: donnot
🐢 i can still 🐰 492 words ➥ Monday, November 19, 2018 by: donnot
🤔 to convince 🤕 560 words ➥ Tuesday, November 19, 2019 by: donnot
🌀 a desire to belong 🌀 636 words ➥ Thursday, November 19, 2020 by: donnot
😏 much to criticize, 😉 406 words ➥ Friday, November 19, 2021 by: donnot
😕 recognition, 😕 445 words ➥ Saturday, November 19, 2022 by: donnot
👐 healing 👐 499 words ➥ Sunday, November 19, 2023 by: donnot
🌪 being clean does 🍃 467 words ➥ Tuesday, November 19, 2024 by: donnot
☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge
Book 2
1) When the Tao prevails in the world, they send back their swift
horses to (draw) the dung-carts. When the Tao is disregarded in the
world, the war-horses breed in the border lands.