Everyday Philosophy: How much empathy is too much empathy?

we need hard empathy. It’s essential to broadening our perspective, deepening our humanity, healing social rifts, and preparing us to be of service to others. It makes our personal relationships more resilient—we recover from disagreements faster and are less likely to give up on each other, whether it’s with a family member, friend, or romantic pa

While empathy is essential, if we over-identify with the person or people hurting, the empathy turns into empathic distress, where our own discomfort ironically takes center stage. We collapse or run away.