“She’s got to be able to sense my feelings,” I told the soldier. “It’s not like I hide them. I don’t bother to even try.”
“She can’t sense your feelings,” he said, surprising me.
“You don’t think so? How could she not?”
“I don’t think she senses people’s feelings, she reads them.”
“Tell me the difference,” I said.
“To sense something, you feel it.”
“Oh, yes I see,” I said as the light came on.
“Yeah, you can’t sense someone’s feelings unless you have empathy. She’s got no empathy.”
There was bad news today. With the soldier in the truck it fell to me to communicate our (collective) sympathies via email. Recalling that, I said nothing.
pictured – The Potato Eaters, Vincent van Gogh, 1885. Oil on canvas
I can honestly say I don’t have any friends who lack empathy.
Family’s another matter. 😉
I also have a Scorpio moon and what drives me insane is when people tell me one thing and I just know they are feeling something else. When I challenge them about it, it eventually comes out but I really wish I could just walk away sometimes.
Lynn, speaking from a little experience on the other end of your comment, sometimes when someone’s words don’t match their non-verbals, it’s because they aren’t ready to expose their feelings, and they may say one thing while feeling another in order to avoid the probing questions until they can deal with what they’re feeling. Sometimes, “I’m fine” really means, “Leave me alone, I’ll talk when I’m ready.”
Of course I could be taking your comment and applying it to a completely unrelated situation, it’s been that kind of night. LOL
Carielle, you are absolutely right. I did not mean to sound insensitive. It seems like you have had a rough night – sorry.
I have scorpio moon and I can’t stand it when people desperatly want me to feel them without trying to feel me. There is a girl who comes into the coffeeshop where I work and she puts off alot of “please acknowledge me” vibes. But whenever I try to have a conversation with her she asks alot of personal questions and makes assumptions. it really, really gets under my skin… so now when she comes in I am very curt with her but she continues to psychicly probe me. I wish she could just feel me. I wish she could just pick up on the fact that she is invading my sense of personal space and could she just back off a tiny bit please. I dont want to have to cater to people who can only read feelings because then I come off as cold and or rude and uncaring and thats the opposite of what i am.
notatirem – I think I sometimes come off as being the same. I think that I am overwhelmed by the impact of others’ emotions and it takes a while to get clarity. Like a deer in headlights. In this modern world people are used to instant answers but to get to the truth needs time.
lynn, instant answers…exactly. One can use dynamite to blast open the cache of truth only to destroy half the contents. with time one can skillfully pick the locks. it feels like people are walking around hurling explosives. Which just leads to fortification of my defenses. which prompts them to increase thier firepower. which usually just ends in me mind-fucking them.
viscious cycle. really.
I have Scorpio moon too and Lynn I understand how frustrating it is when people’s words don’t match their emotions. Especially with my first husband I would know he was angry or upset long before he admitted it even to himself. It took me far too long in life to realize that people have to get to that awareness on their own and once they KNOW how they’re feeling they still may not be able or willing to communicate it. That awareness of everyone else’s emotions may just be the trickiest thing about having a Scorpio moon.
I’m sorry about the bad news.
“I’m sorry about the bad news.”
Thank you. 🙂
Hey, that is a wonderful explanation. It really helps me understand a few people in my life. No empathy with them.
Hope everything turns out ok Elsa.
Lynn – Same here. It’s a strange thing when the words, behaviors, emotions you observe are out of synch. But everything has it’s own timing and is revealed at its own pace. Like trying to force a flower to bloom – it opens when it opens 🙂
Carielle and Lupa – Yes. Very true.