No Empathy

 I have zero sympathy for you! That is what Americans hear when we do not have any empathy. That could be my catchphrase because there have been cases where I did not have empathy. It is not me being mean; that is part of my dry personality, but because of the dryness, I have made smart remarks that were not needed. I do give "tough love," but it is not for the worst. I do it because I respect you enough to say that this is what is going to happen. All I want to do is protect you from escalating, but the escalators go up, and when they stop, they see that it is too late to go back down. Examining myself, I think part of the reason I lack empathy is because of my self-confidence. When I tell the truth, I can get pushy, and they do not always take it well, and my confidence level has been low for the majority of my life. I feel that I have to make it right, even if that means making enemies. Make your choice to take my advice, because there will be no beating around the bush. Just so you know, if I cannot watch it with my advice and it is too big of a deal, I cannot show empathy, but it might come to the point where I take action and fix it myself. You may not like it, but there are some situations that call for forceful action. My heart might take over my brain. It can be a bad pill to swallow, and there have been times where I have come in like a rocket ship. Crossing the line is not "def." Understand, though, that it is also part of my heritage. I was raised to believe that if someone needs help and you cannot bear to watch the results, then do something about it. Be careful, though, because I might be extra cautious if the person is personally not well-known. Words are powerful, and when there is no empathy, it makes the person come across as someone who is not pleasant to be around. Is that a label you wish to carry to the grave? I know I do not want that label, and I am hoping that my advice does not turn into discouragement. The damage might be done after the thermometer goes down, and there may not be a chance to erase the white board. The anger can still be there, but is the anger exaggerated? That is the question of the day. I cannot tell that because when someone shows empathy, there is a deep connection, which to me is scary because the connection can get screwed up. It is frightening to be vulnerable when there is no impact on yourself. What can happen is that the situation can get filthy, and you just became the number one target because you were trying to help. The hard part is, though, if they come back at me while I do not retaliate, I do not care to the highest point. As they say, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." It is also when the person does not take advice and it goes down the way I thought—I just want to laugh because they did not listen to me. After the dust settles, there is a possibility of arguing over something ridiculous. I see it as ridiculous because you made your bed and now lie in it. I know that it sounds awful, but we are humans, and we will make bad choices. The bad choices make us remember for next time. I remembered not to fumble with money in a grocery store line.