This Life

Empathy without Boundaries is Deadly

The variability of who we are and what masks we wear is dependent on others. We’re all empathic. How deep we go before we sense the loss of self is the measure of health.

There is more than one reality. There is the physical reality, the social reality, the imaginal reality, and the spiritual reality. There is likely more than these, but most humans over a lifetime will tap into these. They overlap and coexist. Changing a dimension in one affects the others. Have you ever started a relationship, only to retreat as you realized you were losing yourself? Do you know who you are in the absence of all others? Are you still the same when others arrive? Does your sense of self change as the people you’re with change? Are you certain you know who you are?

Personality is dependent on others. We wear many hats in our lifetimes. We have many roles. While it is true that birds of a feather flock together, it is also true that we take on attributes of the people and groups we spend the most time in. This has been measured physically by scientists tracking weight. People who spend time with heavier people trend heavier, and people who spend time with thinner people get thinner. It’s not just thin people who prefer…