Empath, Introvert, Highly Sensitive, WTH? Empath: (Part 1 of a 3 Part Series

There are some words I've noticed being used a lot lately, and not often correctly.

One of the words being misappropriated is the word: empath.

It seems everyone I know and their cat consider themselves to be empaths.

So I decided to dig a little deeper and discover what it really means to be an empath and why so many people are identifying (or misidentifying) with this label.

The original definition of empath accordion to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is simply someone who feels empathy.

Definition of empath: one who experiences the emotions of others: a person who has empathy for others.

If you look towards other arenas such as parapsychology, the definition gets a little more complex. The definition there cites extra-sensory skills and abilities which make some people capable of sensing others emotions and feelings in a way unexplained by conventional science and psychology.

I am an extremely empathetic person.

I do not consider myself an empath.

There is nothing super human, nor extraordinary about me being able to read a room, get a vibe from someone without looking at them, and feel what someone else is feel-ing.

I believe that these are survival skills that we are born with and can cultivate from an early age. I also believe that we are losing these abilities as a species, as we ignore them, and mistake devolution for evolution.

Unless we are sociopathic, we should all be able to feel empathy.

I say SHOULD be, but that ability has clearly started disappearing at an alarming rate over the last few years. We can barely stand acknowledging our own pain let alone see-ing and one step further FEELING the pain of someone who differs from us. We have not been taught to flex our empathy muscle, and so like any other unused muscle, it at-rophies and eventually won't work at all.

Do I think true empaths exist? Yes, I do.

Do I think true empaths possess a supernatural power? That's a more complicated question to answer. I think some people are more attuned with things most of us are not aware of. I think they align themselves with energy and the non- physical. I think they possess a rare skill of letting go of themselves for a bit to tap into things that we are not only not trained to tap into, but are actively trained to discredit, ignore and mock.

Do I think we could all be empaths, with the proper training and patience? Probably. Do I think it is necessary? No, I do not.

I think it's unnecessary to have a society of "empaths". I think it is mandatory that we go back to being a society who EMPATHIZES. Once we stop feeling for all beings, not just human, but all beings, we have signed our fate and are on a collision course with disas-ter.

Next week, we will talk about what it really means to be an introvert