Sometimes I wonder if I claim too quickly the mantle of empath. It may be more my ego and my perception that having empathetic feelings are a positive character trait that draws me to the claim. However, I do feel (how many times will I use “feel” in a post about empathy), that I exhibit the foundations of empathetic thought often. I have come to realize that such traits can be burdensome. One is always trying to extract what others are feeling and motivated by by nothing else than your own perceptions of their actions (or inactions). Is the silence I hear due to the fact that they are not interested or are they waiting for a more substantial move on my part? This debate is further complicated by the personal fear or hope you as the empath have regarding the outcome. You rotate in a spiral of action/inaction and indecision – the problem with a spiral is there is usually no forward motion that results. At some point, you must let go of trying to interpret and let the silence stand for nothing more than what it is – silence. Be receptive to hear, but quiet in your own voice. If you keep yelling into a canyon waiting for an echo that never comes — maybe you are in the wrong canyon.
Image: https://goo.gl/images/Gj6LAf
