The Rise & Fall of Empathy

There seems to be two movements going on in the world. One movement is the one of the awakening, and the development of one's soul. The other is toward narcissism and chronic self centeredness and selfishness. 

The spiritual awakening movement usually opens the pathway for people to become empathetic and sympathetic. The rise in the "me" and "I" culture has bred mild narcissistic behaviors. It is the era where people are solely concerned about themselves, their job title and their income. On top of that, people cannot see situations or "hot topics" from both sides of the story, or through different lenses. 

Today, I notice a trend of people becoming empathetic, and on the other end of the spectrum, people displaying more signs of mild narcissism. 

So where exactly are we headed? Good question. 

“Narcissistic personality disorder is named for Narcissus, from Greek mythology, who fell in love with his own reflection. Freud used the term to describe persons who were self-absorbed, and psychoanalysts have focused on the narcissist’s need to bolster his or her self-esteem through grandiose fantasy, exaggerated ambition, exhibitionism, and feelings of entitlement.”
--Donald W. Black

“The ‘Selfie Stick’ has to top the list for what best defines narcissism in society today.”
--Alex Morritt

If you believe in the Bible, can we "assume" that we are headed towards a more narcissistic culture

2 Timothy 3:1-7 ESV But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ...

I believe in astrology. I always have. And I always will. Christians think I am insane, or demonic, for believing in the stars. The stars are man's guider or blue print, the same as the three wise men who followed the North Star to find the Messiah. How can God have three wise men use the stars, but not us average citizens?

In Genesis 1:14-19  it states, "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day."

We are shifting from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. I am an Aquarius. I understand the shadow side of Aquarius. It's not good. My own shadow was nothing compared to what I've seen in other Aquarians, or with what is happening today. I've always been modest or slightly conservative in areas of life, but I empathize with the dark energy because I can understand it. Society is suffering from the shadow side of Aquarius. 

And it pretty much looks like what is going on today. Anger, mental health issues, emotional explosions, being stuck in the head, self-absorption, suicide, open relationships etc., dark side of Aqua's energy also includes artificial intelligence as well as voyeurism. 

Culturally, the Aquarius shadow energy is overtaking our people. IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT TO STAND BACK, AND NOT REACT IMPULSIVELY OR JUST TO JUST GO WITH THE TREND.

Empathetic people are like sponges. They understand and feel people's or animal's emotions or situations. The soul is a bit more sensitive, and can be targets for narcissistic people who want to feed off their emotions.

Spiritually developed people are often empaths or empathetic in nature. It is important to recognize the signs and behaviors early so empathetic people are not taken advantage of, and they must learn when it is time to draw a line in the sand. 

“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another.”
– Alfred Adler

Being empathetic does not put down other people's feelings or undermine one's life experience. It is important to help, guide or coach people in life, but refrain from judgement or "should have done" statements. I've been in so many communities where everyone preaches the truth or their way is "right." In reality, we all are student and teachers and can learn from each other. Where we learn and how we learn also affects our perceptions and perspectives. 

Today, many people are both self-absorbed and empathetic. The important aspect is to control the self-absorption and self-centeredness. Here are some ways to combat the world revolving around you. 

• Ask people how their day is going
• Be open to doing something that you do not plan or schedule
  
• Understand relationships of any kind (work, love, friendship) requires input from both people
  
• Understand that other people have problems, feelings and emotions too
  
• Get a counselor or spiritual advisor to help your wounds and shadow side​  

So where exactly are we headed? That I do not know. I believe the shadow is being exposed, hopefully for purging and reevaluation. Empathy is rising in certain areas of life such as with animals, the planet and energy conservation. But too many people are suffering from mild narcissistic traits. 

I believe humanity is going through a spiritual crisis. We need to believe in and find God in our lives. But, as a human, we need to re-evaluate our psychological state. God cannot change our narcissistic behavior, but God can help us with narcissism by guiding us to the right people, places and services to help us on our life path. Some people may disagree with me, but in my opinion, life is a balance. 

A relationship with God is a relationship. Should it be one sided and continuously dump our garbage to God? I get that is what he's there for, but we must put ACTION in our lives to show God we are serious about whatever it is we want to change. 

No human will ever be perfect. We will never be 100% empathetic in every situation or area of life. We can learn to become more empathetic and understand how our actions affect other people through being hyper-aware. 

What do you think? Is society rising or falling with empathy / narcissism? 

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