Sympathy for others lost then regained

[SchwimmelPuckel]

But note; you're no longer a Scientologist, therefore, you're damned for all eternity!

That's not an 'adverse effect'???

Zinj

HARH! - There's that allright!

But it strikes me that we can annoy the shit outta the scilons with this! - By telling 'em that we have sympathy for their situation in Scientology!

And when they make a vry face at that..

Oh, that's just a reasonable way to feel about it. No need to thank me for it..

 

[gomorrhan]

The only problem with sympathy is when it is TRIGGERED, IMO. Understanding another person's plight, and knowing how they feel, these are abilities. Feeling how they feel, on the other hand, is different, and to the extent that you get into an emotional tizzy, not helpful. Really, to me, it comes down to whether or not your "TRs are in". If they are, and you are emoting because that seems to be what the person needs to hear (non-reactive), that would fit the bill for healthy, IMO (and comes down to empathy), whereas reacting and losing your perspective and understanding wouldn't be.

 

[Whitedove]

The only problem with sympathy is when it is TRIGGERED, IMO. Understanding another person's plight, and knowing how they feel, these are abilities. Feeling how they feel, on the other hand, is different, and to the extent that you get into an emotional tizzy, not helpful. Really, to me, it comes down to whether or not your "TRs are in". If they are, and you are emoting because that seems to be what the person needs to hear (non-reactive), that would fit the bill for healthy, IMO (and comes down to empathy), whereas reacting and losing your perspective and understanding wouldn't be.

How can you know how they feel if you cant feel what they feel?

 

[cinamingrl]

bedside manner

IMO, having empathy is having an ability to perceive the emotional condition of another. This is ABSOLUTELY critical to "bedside manner" in a doctor,...

My father is a doctor, with a good bedside manner. I've heard that about him a lot.

On the other hand, my mother has no empathy. Never has, never will. She never developed her brain in that way, for some reason. She just cannot think of other's. The whole world revolves around her and her emotions. Other people's emotions aren't even valid to her, only she is allowed emotions.

 

[gomorrhan]

Empathy is the knowledge of what they feel.

Sympathy is feeling whatever it is that the other person feels.

My interpretation.

 

[Whitedove]

Empathy is the knowledge of what they feel.

Sympathy is feeling whatever it is that the other person feels.

My interpretation.

You can have an intellectual knowledge of someone's feeling. Doesnt mean you truly understand what that person feels. You know the saying 'walk a mile in my shoes'? Well, in order to truly understand how someone's feel you got to be able to feel their emotion(s). Otherwise its just intellectual. There is no emotions involved. I agree that sometimes its better not to completely feel someone but you need to be able to access their feelings to a certain degree if you want to really understand that person.

Have you ever talk to someone who acknowledge how you feel but cant get it versus someone who do acknowledge and get how you feel?
It doesnt mean you have to become that person. But it means that you are willing to experience that person's feelings in order to really understand her.

That is my interpretation

 

[gomorrhan]

I don't think you have to be willing to experience what they're feeling to understand what they are feeling (perhaps having been there, yourself). There are many things that I'm unwilling to experience. This doesn't mean I don't understand how people feel when they experience those things. I don't wish to experience hunger, but I have felt it, and I don't want to, in the future, but this doesn't mean I can't understand someone else who has an issue with hunger.

 

[Whitedove]

I don't think you have to be willing to experience what they're feeling to understand what they are feeling (perhaps having been there, yourself). There are many things that I'm unwilling to experience. This doesn't mean I don't understand how people feel when they experience those things. I don't wish to experience hunger, but I have felt it, and I don't want to, in the future, but this doesn't mean I can't understand someone else who has an issue with hunger.

I didnt say you had to experience it but you had to be willing to experience the person's feelings about it (to a certain degree of course depending if yourself experienced it or not). So,if you can than it means you have compassion, empathy, sympathy...whichever word you prefer.

 

[Voltaire's Child]

Part of the problem here is that Hubbard redefined "sympathy" and that can make it very hard to really see what the actual meaning of the word is. At least, for me, it can be, due to my longtime involvement with the cult.

 

[Power Change]

No mystery, the definitions of sympathy are in the tech dictionary which I have, which is where I got the definition from for the thread. This was just one out of many.

Gomorrhan's spoke to some of the other definitions in this thread.

 

[Operating DB]

bad definitions

Check this out....tech dictionary "Sympathy":

"a terrible thing but is considered to be a very valuable thing. The survival value of sympathy is this: when an individual is hurt or immobilized, he cannot fend for himself. He must count on another or others to care for him." L Ron Hubbard

There is much more in the tech dictionary on this...but the first definition says it all...scn could not function as the suppressive organization it is if any sympathy was allowed in by any member for any other member. Hubbard made sympathy a BAD BAD....."

I remember that definition and it always struck as odd. Certainly by that point in my training I took anything by lrh as Truth. As I was reading your post it made me think what if I went through the tech dictionary and all the other crap I read by him and this time look at it with an uncorrupted viewpoint. I think there would be a lot of amazing false data stripping to experience. But, alas, I threw my whole lrh library in the dumpster in 1987.