Is my empathy broken?
This the question I must ask myself after a heated row, which seemed to come from nowhere.
I should stay out of international affairs, really, for I never seem to have the correct reaction.
My view always seems to be contrary or ambivalent. I’m never able to take a definitive stance.
I’ll say things like, “It’s complex.” Or, “Both sides are pushing propaganda.” Or, “Both sides lie.” Or, “Innocents on both sides are needlessly suffering.”
Yes, but I know the problem is me. I’m detached, aloof. I’ve cut myself off from the 24-hour news cycle. I’m not on social media.
I’m caught in my own world, oblivious to every twist and turn in events happening thousands of miles away, which everyone else has made their cause.
So I say the wrong thing. Respond the wrong way. And before I know it, I’m in the midst of an almighty quarrel I didn’t see coming.
“What on earth is wrong with you?” will be the rebuke soon thrown my way.
It’s a fair question. I ask myself that all of the time. Is my empathy completely broken?
Last modified: 9 June 2024
