sympathy is easier than empathy

Sympathy is far easier to practice than empathy, sharing the same root, they both come from the Greek word pathos, which roughly means “feeling.” The difference is in the prefix, “sym-” is together, therefore sympathy means “feeling together,” our emotions fuse with those of the person we sympathise with. The em- means (the ability) “to go into” … the experiences or feelings of another person without losing self-possession, the ability to maintain control over our responses and to act freely, out of our own core.

Real empathy is undertaking an intentional journey … a person who is able to empathize can share in another person’s experience (their thoughts and feelings) without imitating them, without necessarily sharing their desires, … to connect deeply with other people without becoming like other people, … an empathetic person has the ability to understand why someone might want something that they don’t want for themselves

sympathy with joy is naturally rare

to sympathise with a friend’s success

linked mentions for "sympathy is easier than empathy":

1. to sympathise with a friend’s success
   Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature—it requires, in fact, the nature of a true