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Has reading made you more empathetic to others?
For me, personally, no. While there are times when I am reading that a particular passage stirs up something within me, makes me joyful and inspired, while I feel some sort of connection to a rooted, abstract notion of humanity and the history of humanity, I generally feel a vague, ambient disdain for the people I am surrounded by daily. Their emotional impotence, their opportunistic selfishness, their complacency.
Maybe I'm only agitated because these are some of the things I hate in myself and am constantly seeking to eradicate. But regardless, at the end of the day, I take issue with the fact that this is the way I feel and wish to be better. I try to look for the good in people and I try to be good myself, but I'm starting to question literature's capacity to truly open the heart and mind. Even among ourselves, among people who also read, we are predisposed to hatred, frustration, impatience, negativity, pessimism.
How do we change this without turning away from modern life, from reality? Surely, so much literature inadvertently encourages us to do just this, to turn away, to reach toward and engage in a life beyond life.
I'd like to hear your thoughts and feelings. Are there any books that speak to this sentiment?
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>>9930153
This is what happens when life gives you a tiny dick.
Do you not now have a greater trust in your fellow human to sometimes have a rich and full inner life? Extending from this, maybe you can have a degree of certainty that the Other is in there and have receptors to sensation, hopes, dreams, pain, suffering? Great authors have come to task to prove through the act of writing that consciousness exists in them as authors in some way similar to your own and people deserve your, at least, attempt to emphasize because you have a capacity to imagine the feelings of what it would be like if you were in the convergence of potentiality they are currently in. Pull your head out of your ass.
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>>9930191
I'm sorry to have upset you to the extent I did, but thanks for sharing, anon.
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once more
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>>9930153
>Has reading made you more empathetic to others?
Yes, very. I am in general a cold person, but reading a lot of theological works has really made me change my mindset and actions, over the last few years.
And to answer your last question; you should strive to avoid modern life (in the 'emotional' way). It breeds nothing but selfishness and shallow actions - but you seem to be well aware of that already.
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>>9931299
Thanks for responding. What theological works would you recommend? I'm already reading the New Testament.
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>>9930153
do you mean sympathetic? empathy is for narcissists like yourself
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>Fauvism
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>>9931690
Yes, I suppose so. Though I was more compelled to bring up the idea of empathy because, as one of the above posters said, literature often allows us to engage another consciousness that reflects our own. This kind of connection is tied to empathy, I think.
While I'm not personally offended, I'm honestly a little surprised at how hostile at some of these responses. Surely you yourself have harbored feelings of self-righteousness and cynicism toward others at one point? That seems to be the case right now, in fact.
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