I haven’t read Bloom’s book, but I draw from other sources. I avoid corporate social media and its “conversations” and have been doing so quite happily for nearly 10 years.

I catch little pieces of it, like this, and it reminds me of why I stay away. I dislike the cluttered analysis and damnation or vindication of human actions and feelings sprouting all over the place; Shame, empathy, envy, anger, whatever the flavor of the month is…

Buddhist philosophy teaches us that we are aggregates of various delusions (and science has come to a similar conclusion). Spontaneous compassion, which can come from anywhere, it can’t be “Rationalized,” is one of the greatest tools we have for breaking patterns, of exercising a wild detachment from these aggregates, that destroy our society and ourselves.

All the tools, even the maligned ones like shame and guilt, may lead a person to these sorts of spontaneous acts of compassion, not only toward others, but toward themselves (there is ultimately no difference).

However…Of all the malign-able features of the human condition, empathy must be the strangest to hone in on.

The definition provided by Bloom is not satisfactory: The cold and detached act that arises from “imagining yourself in their place” is what some in the therapy field would call sympathy.

The being in the moment and doing what is needed in that moment is empathy, Empathy should be considered derived from compassion, it is the present choice, sympathy, the rationalized, detached choice, is the lesser guide, but of course it can lead somewhere, too.

If the empathy is missing from the effort to help than I doubt, however rationalized it may be, however well meaning the bureaucracy, NGO, or organized effort, that it will be helpful.

This is the first post on social media I have made in about 8 years that wasn’t somehow related to tech support. Be merciful.