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I have a weird capacity for empathy. I very rarely feel anything powerful when people close to me are going through something (I tend to take the "tough love" approach, or to be the strong/silent type to get the person through a crisis), but I am often VERY deeply moved by articles, and especially pictures, of anonymous strangers in the news.
The latest occurrence happened this morning while I was looking at news photos from the earthquake in China, and I nearly started crying. Whenever this happens, it's because I put myself directly into the person's shoes (in the article or photo) and start wondering what they could possibly be feeling in that instant, what kind of waves of grief must be washing through them, and I try to feel them in some way, myself. And then I feel very helpless because I cannot actually do anything to help those people, other than empathize with them, which doesn't amount to a lot of practical outreach.
It's just weird. This has been going on for several years, with me. I empathize more easily with strangers than I do with the people closest to me. I don't know what kind of psychological things go into that, but that's how it is.
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And think not you can direct the course of Love;
for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
--Khalil Gibran
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