the ends of empathy

In Bloom’s book, he repeatedly compares empathy to a spotlight: “It makes visible the suffering of others, makes their troubles real, salient, and concrete. From the gloom, something is seen.” But a spotlight is a limited instrument. It illuminates, but only narrowly. Its light is so bright that you can forget how much it leaves in the dark.

The only true way to expand your world is to inhabit an otherness beyond ourselves. There is one simple word for this: empathy. Don’t let them fool you. Empathy is violent. Empathy is tough. Empathy can rip you open. Once you go there, you can be changed. Get ready: they will label you sentimental. But the truth is that the cynics are the sentiment

We as mental-health care providers have become so caught up in the practice of empathy that we’ve lost sight of the fact that empathy without accountability is a shortsighted attempt to relieve suffering.