Sympathy & Empathy

Insouciant FiLTH: Which would you choose as being more important?:

1) Empathy - "the experience of understanding another person's condition from their perspective"
2) Sympathy - "Feelings or impulses of compassion"

Note that with empathy a person may/may not feel sympathy, meaning it is possible to understand what a person is going through (their thoughts/experience/emotion) but feel nothing towards that person, might even despise them based on other things. Also possible that a person can relate and feel a softer emotion towards the other person they're empathising with.
We'll assume that the 'sympathy' is genuine.

I have the view that empathy is greater and the reason is it goes beyond relying on an emotional response, sympathy seems a bit helpless while empathy can cross different barriers and isn't restricted to when a bad event takes place. Just on a personal side it seems more comfortable and easier to empathise than to sympathise or express that.

melinoe: Empathy is a deeper, somewhat stronger emotion. i think because sometimes it can arouse feelings within yourself that you've experienced that might resurface. when my aunt got divorced my mum went over to comfort her..empathized with her (having been divorced herself). i couldn't really put myself in her shoes,because iv never been through that. all i could do was sympathize. i showed as much compassion as my mum did. just couldn't relate as easily.

Insouciant FiLTH: Yes, it's also on putting yourself in the other person's shoes and see it from there. It should be pushed more on larger things. Issues as Israel & Palestine or everyday situations, it is easier to blame another side without reflecting on the reason why people respond a certain way. To put yourself second. Usually it is pushed that we must understand ourselves and be self-reflecting as a way to move forward. I don't agree to that, maybe there is more to it I guess. I was wondering which one will persons most likely like for themselves. I get the idea at times that some do prefer sympathy and an emotional display instead of a logical response of understanding.

Aura: I have a lot of empathy. In most cases I can understand exactly where people are coming from. And it can help not to take offense to the actions of others. And it's true I feel blame never solves anything and time is better spend looking at how to solve the situation and prevent it from happening in the future.
But it doesn't mean I care more about people, or am less judgmental or more tolerant than any other person out there.
There is no 'greater' here. People need both, working together, in order to reach a state what we would call 'good'

Insouciant FiLTH: I can agree to that a mix of both will solve so many issues esp our social ones.

forever_autumn: sympathy is more like pure pity which may illicit a feeling of shame from the person one has sympathy for, whereas empathy is more welcomed because it is more of an understanding of what the person is going through and seems to suggest that one has tried to put himself in the moccassins of or relates to the person that the empathy is for.

forever_autumn: I have never smoked cigarettes, but i dont judge against people who smoke as i have empathy for them because most every smoker i know wants to quit smoking and struggles with quitting smoking and we all can relate to wanting to let go of one vice or another in our lives.

Evelyn99: Empty is the highest level of being a human