Empathy is an interesting world, often mistaken for something quite differnet - unhealthy boundaries, not knowing where we end and the other begins. I think of how often I remained connected to hurtful people (and others to me, when I was hurtful), because I imagined myself empathic. And maybe I was - but that didn't mean I had to endure their madness. Our empathic capacity can be as misdirected as any other ability. Just because you can feel where someone is coming from, doesn't mean that you have to put yourself at risk. When we allow 'empathy' to keep us invested in that which brings us suffering, when we confuse it with a boundaryless way of being, it morphs into misplaced faith and self-sabotage. It becomes empathy run amok. It turns a gift freely given, into a gift freely abused. Better to not turn your compassionate nature against yourself. Empathize with humanity, but shield yourself from harm. - Jeff Brown, Grounded Spirituality
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