You may remember the recent news regarding Denmark offering classes in school to teach children empathy. While this may be a worthwhile effort, one needs to wonder the following:
Is empathy something you need to learn?
I’m arguing the following:
You either have or don’t have empathy. You can develop sympathy. If empathy isn’t something that comes with you, whatever your re-learned action patterns may become, they will not be intuitive or instinctive but rather learned behaviors not accurately reflecting the personality traits you were born with.
From the moment I’ve built my first rh negative community, I saw thoughts promoted that rh negatives are high in empathy. I wasn’t exactly sure what empathy is and had to learn at a later point that there are people lacking it. I’ve always had it and cannot turn it off, even when I want to. I assumed that those who don’t show it just learned to hide it. I now realize that there are people who have it and those who don’t and those who don’t will never be able to have it, only able to imitate behavior observed and taught to adapt based on how people with empathy act when they don’t have their social guard up.
Rh negative people are highly intuitive and intuition and empathy do go hand-in-hand.
If you believe you are en empathy,
what is your personality type?
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When my stepson was young, I noticed he seemed to have no empathy for others. It worried me, so I always tried to get him to place himself in another’s shoes to imagine how it would feel to be treated in a rude or inconsiderate manner, and tried to let him know how it can negatively impact others and your relationships with them, but he never ‘got’ it. Maybe this is the reason! It never occurred to me that a lack of empathy could be ingrained and that empathy cannot be taught! His mother was a very greedy person, so I always attributed the lack of empathy as a learned behavior from his mom, and tried to get him to unlearn it, but it did not work…
I have seen much of both, people trying to help kids understand empathy and people trying to “help” other kids “not be so sensitive”. Neither ever worked.
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In my experience, empathy is an Rh negative trait. I have 5 siblings, and we are all A or O negative. My dad is O- my mom A-.
We all feel everything very deeply. My dad tried to act gruff but underneath he
Was always showing his empathy. All the rest of us too. We are all intuitive as well.
Interesting question. On a purely personal intuitive basis, I think that the answer is YES. On the other hand, it is certainly true that non-empathetic behavior and feelings can be inculcated and taught. Military academies and elitist school systems all do that. There is also the complex sentiment of SchadenFreude, and the sentiment that being “pathetic” is equivalent to being weak and powerless. Personally, I regard the true meaning of “pathos” as the opposite, including the true ability to feel and understand the pain and sentiments of other humans and all living entities. How much genetic basis there is to that I do not know.
I am an empath. I noticed more in past 5 yrs a huge dissociation or lack of empathy in majority of people. Only and empath can understand an empath. It is not teachable. People can act. Yet Animals, babies and the elderly know. We must balance the blatant narcissism that rules. No one gets it.I was worried about the helpless. So I chose to put myself with children most misunderstood. And the Elderly. And guess what Empathy is felt, it’s not a secret, it’s just a profound realization that so few of us exist anymore. I find many of theRH negative people I know are in healthcare or yes research. I’m not sure why but my empathy is part of ability to read people. Parents thank me. Elderly call it out. No one is as kind or empathic as you, they thank me. That makes me question everything. Is something wrong with me or everyone I work for or with… Empathy is necessary for survival. Or we would never help one another in the battlefeild. The empath saves his brother. The rest save themselves. Love is not weakness it’s strength. Empathy is a grace from god. It’s inborn.
Amen! I completely agree with you Robin!
It’s amazing that we really all do share a collective mindset on many things! You make a good point melanie!!!!
Being an INFP personality, Rh o negative, left -handed, dark hair, brown eyes , and deep thinker and researcher, I can assure you that empathy is a spiritual trait and not a physical trait according to your blood type. It is a gift from the spirit and you choose to activate or deactivate it. RH negative elite families have been known for torturing their children to deactivate this trait so that it does not interfere with their ruling and royal status. Can you imagine if the queens, kings and emperors of the past had empathy towards the poor and unfortunate masses, well to say the least they would be without their wealth and power as empathetic souls would rather give away their wealth to the poor and unfortunate souls due to the empathy they feel for their neighbours and fellow men, woman and children. Hench one of the 10 commandments is to love thy neighbour as thyself. And Jesus himself taught to do to others as you would have them do to you. The very last 6 of the 10 commandments has to do with mankind’s behaviour towards others. i.e stealing from others, commit murder, commit adultery, bear false witness against a neighbour, nor covet your neighbour’s house, partner, any of your neighbour’s belongings as by doing any of these things someone in the process gets hurt, affected and therefore we can empathize today with each other when these things occur to our fellow men, woman and children. Notice that these 10 commandments were given to the Israelites during their exodus from the ruling class in Egypt that lacked this empathy towards their Jewish slaves. Your rh negative blood comes not from the Annunaki but through the line of Noah, Seth, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’s 12 sons and your empathy has been taught to your ancestors through the 10 commandments and later through the love the Father has for all his children regardless of their blood type. For God first loved us and taking empathy on all his lost children He sent forth a redeemer that can come and activate the love and empathy trait in us. Isn’t it strange that most charity organizations that help and support the poor and unfortunate have Christian values, this doesn’t mean they are all Christians but they have the Christian values such as do as Jesus did, caring for the sick, looking after the poor, and to love thy neighbour as thyself, for we LOVE because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Jesse your answer is right on. We are born with it. M memory is so long. I remember m brother and I as toddlers ( we were 17 months apart and very close knit) could not see one another cry and not cry ourself from witnessing the other. We were unlike other siblings are whole lives in that way. We didn’t fight we protected eachother. As far as myself. Assigned life to almost everything. Sadly sometimes inanimate objects like toy bikes not just teddy bears. Or food on my plate. This made me feel sorry for the it. I walked my bike as a child if I rode it too long. I sometimes couldn’t eat rice on my plate as I’d empathize with it not wanting it to be eaten, I remember my mom being there and laughing saying my name and pretending to be the rice saying “ please eat me..” lol I had to adjust myself to the real world. Obviously. Yes that was there in the beginning not taught. Even now I must have hood boundaries so I give my empathy to the ones that need it. Though im quite able to stand up for myself. We have other sides to us too, lol
I texted INFP also b neg. That’s interesting I had not heard of that with the royals, but makes sense. There are some jobs I never could do as an empath, and others I must to protect innocent people. I’m not sure anyone could change me at this point. TY
An observation I made and wonder if and rh negative people have had the same e xperience. I’m a magnet to narcissistic personality disorder and ASPD. I legit was married to one for 30 yrs. ( getting divorced yes.)As a result I think In order to survive this type, my youngest daughter she is 23 learned to disassociate to survive his gaslighting. I of course b neg would blow up or become scared at his lack of empathy or try try to figure it out. I was finally told Robin do not try to rationalize the irrationtional. It’s a waste. Your not wired the same. My youngest tested opos . and as I said before I question this test. However her ability to disassociate from him is something I can’t do. So either she adapted or continuous PTSD can cause dissociative personality disorder. Her remarks after her brother died have caused concern for me. Do any of the rh negatives find that anti-social or narcissists tend to be attracted to you? I can see now that I’m dating its a pattern. Considering dating a b neg like me.
It’s amazing that we really all do share a collective mindset on many things! You make a good point melanie!!!!
Hi Mike;
I’m Rh B negative and my Meyers-Brigg personality type is ENFP which for me breaks down by percentage as follows: Extrovert 3%, Intuition 66%, Feeling 16%, Sensing/Perceiving 9%. I am very intuitive, and can feel others emotions. I listen to my intuition but try to also consider all aspects affecting a decision, however, if I override my intuition because I don’t like what it is telling me – that rarely turns out well.
Being very empathic and compassionate, I have also been a target for narcissists and must remain vigilant and aware. Fortunately, I am particularly good a perceiving hidden or unspoken motives and/or the greater meaning in a situation. This does not have to be personal, it can apply to groups, society, or even international situations. I quickly perceive what’s probably behind the surface presentation of things, sensing the truth before most (certainly Rh Negatives are not alone in this but probably by much larger percentage). The draw back is that until others also intuit and perceive the truth, the Rh negative person can receive much push back, denial or resistance, and further, sometimes waiting for others growing awareness can take years.
Keep up the good work Mike. Be well and stay safe. Cheers Catherine O