What About People Born Without Feelings?

[WebersHome]

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Well; insensitive folk who come from the womb unable to feel compassion, are in very grave danger of the sum of all fears.

• Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

• Jas 2:13 . .For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy.

As an experiment, keep an ear attuned for people who respond to the news of someone's misfortune by saying "It could've been worse." That's a sympathy challenged person.

NOTE: To help sympathy challenged people properly react to other's misfortune, there are a number web sites that offer lists of helpful do's and don'ts.
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[Abide with me.]

I recently had a group of artists who decide that I needed schooling on how I should paint, even being told to stop painting the way I do, I have been a professional artists all my life and they are not, I found it crushing and hurtful, and when they saw my hurt they laughed, I needed to remind myself that that this poverty of spirit belongs to them, and this kind of behaviour attracts more like itself, I had to distance myself from them and give them time for reflection, the insensitive will rarely admid they were at fault, but they will sooner or later find company with other insensitive people again and again as long as it takes to find insight, some never do, and I pray for their souls.

 

[NerdGirl]

There's a huge difference between not feeling an outpouring of sympathy over another person's misfortune, and someone who literally cannot feel emotions. One is just a variant of normal human functioning. One is a disability.

 

[ViaCrucis]

People born unable to experience empathy have a very real physiological condition that they simply cannot control. It is a sickness no different than any other malady.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[WebersHome]

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Along with sympathy disorders, there are people in this world who, by nature, are affection-challenged. They can't even feel anything for their own children, let alone other people. For them, parenting is a nightmare rather than a dream come true. Their children are a burden rather than a blessing. Children ruin those parents' lives instead of brightening them up and making their lives more worth the living.

However, affection-challenged people aren't broken beyond repair because Christianity isn't entirely a do-it-yourself religion; it's also a supernatural religion; viz; part of the plan of salvation is regeneration.

• Rom 8:11 . . If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His spirit, who lives in you.

• 2Cor 4:16 . .Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
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[bling]

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Well; insensitive folk who come from the womb unable to feel compassion, are in very grave danger of the sum of all fears.

• Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

• Jas 2:13 . .For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy.

As an experiment, keep an ear attuned for people who respond to the news of someone's misfortune by saying "It could've been worse." That's a sympathy challenged person.

NOTE: To help sympathy challenged people properly react to other's misfortune, there are a number web sites that offer lists of helpful do's and don'ts.
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What an opportunity to serve.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

There's a huge difference between not feeling an outpouring of sympathy over another person's misfortune, and someone who literally cannot feel emotions. One is just a variant of normal human functioning. One is a disability.

I wonder what Hitler and his S.S. entourage's excuse was ... ?

Do you think it was variability or disability on their part? [This is actually a mostly serious question, and I'm asking you because.....well.....like me, you're into the juicier academic side of things.]

 

[2PhiloVoid]

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Well; insensitive folk who come from the womb unable to feel compassion, are in very grave danger of the sum of all fears.

• Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

• Jas 2:13 . .For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy.

As an experiment, keep an ear attuned for people who respond to the news of someone's misfortune by saying "It could've been worse." That's a sympathy challenged person.

NOTE: To help sympathy challenged people properly react to other's misfortune, there are a number web sites that offer lists of helpful do's and don'ts.
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I'm not sure I agree with the experiment you've proposed as a litmus test by which to measure some other person's capacities for caring ...

In fact, I'd say that although you could be right, for that claim you really need to cite some solid sources by which to buttress it.

 

[public hermit]

Does one need to feel compassion or empathy in order to know the right thing to do? I don't see why that should be the case. Mercy is not in what one feels, but in what one does.

 

[WebersHome]

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Does one need to feel compassion or empathy in order to know the right thing to do? I don't see why that should be the case. Mercy is not in what one feels, but in what one does.

Modifying people's behavior typically has little effect upon improving their personality. In other words: culture ≠ character. Even an insensitive clod can be taught to be civil, but underneath the whitewash; at heart they're still an insensitive clod; and that's scary because the Bible says that God not only intends to judge people's conduct, but also their secrets. Ouch!
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[public hermit]

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Modifying people's behavior typically has little effect upon improving their personality. In other words: culture ≠ character. Even an insensitive clod can be taught to be civil, but underneath the whitewash; at heart they're still an insensitive clod; and that's scary because the Bible says that God not only intends to judge people's conduct, but also their secrets. Ouch!
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I don't disagree with any of this. But it doesn't warrant the conclusion that mercy, or general goodness, somehow depends on the way one feels.

Imagine your worst enemy comes to you dying of thirst, needing water. You couldn't conjure up positive feelings for this person if you wanted to. Nonetheless, you know the good thing the person needs and you know it's good and right to give it, so you give water to your enemy dying of thirst.

In this hypothetical, you did the right thing because you knew what was good in this instance, despite not specifically having the emotional experience we might associate with compassion or empathy. And, you're not a sociopath for lacking them.

Or, consider the person who feels all kinds of sympathy and compassion but doesn't lift a finger to help. I stand by my statement, mercy is not about how one feels, but about what one does.

 

[WebersHome]

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This is kind of off-topic, but sort of related.

Lately I've been viewing a number of videos on YouTube about an amazing fantasy called Burning Man; an annual event in Nevada.

After a while it began to dawn on me that the 70-80 thousand people attending that festival are unusually courteous, friendly, trusting, outgoing, helpful, accepting, uninhibited, and happy as can be.

It struck me that the only place on earth I've ever seen so many civil people gathered in one place is a rendezvous where the sky is the limit, i.e. everyone is encouraged to let it all hang out and just be themselves for a few days.

Burning Man almost seems like a real-life fulfillment of the lyrics to QUEEN's song "One Vision"

Hey!
One man, one goal
Ha, one mission
One heart, one soul

So give me your hands, give me your hearts
I'm ready! There's only one direction
One world and one nation
Yeah, one vision

No hate, no fight, just excitation
All through the night it's a celebration.

The song makes mention of "one religion" but at Burning Man, all religions are valid. The temple set up out in the midst of the Playa is for anyone and everyone where nobody debates your preference. If it could be said that Burning Man promotes one religion; I'd name it Tolerance.

And there's a song by Elvis Costello that goes like this.

As I walk on through this wicked world
Searching for light in the darkness of insanity
I ask myself, Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain, and hatred, and misery?

And each time I feel like this inside
There's one thing I wanna know
What's so funny 'bout peace, love, and understanding?
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[Religiot]

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Well; insensitive folk who come from the womb unable to feel compassion, are in very grave danger of the sum of all fears.

• Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

• Jas 2:13 . .For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy.

As an experiment, keep an ear attuned for people who respond to the news of someone's misfortune by saying "It could've been worse." That's a sympathy challenged person.

NOTE: To help sympathy challenged people properly react to other's misfortune, there are a number web sites that offer lists of helpful do's and don'ts.
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No such thing as what you're asking.