Dear dom:

I appreciate your examples, they do help me understand. And your understanding that “Maybe they are uncomfortable with showing their own genuine emotions so they don’t know how to respond to mine? ” is what I think as well. True in my experience!

The world is in the sad state that it is and so many, many people are not well because people are not … healthy, not authentic, not genuine. This is the world we live in, unfortunately. Somehow you still have that love for others that we are all born having but most people lost it, or are very careful about it, scared of being hurt… like you, you are scared too, only you still love others.

What to do..? I am thinking as I type this, that if those expressions of your genuine empathy for others are rejected as they have been, then with those people, no reason to invite their rejection, you already know their response. Also in groups certain people behave differently than in one-to-one with you. Peers are probably conscious of how others see them and they want to appear macho and strong and they wrongly think it means not being emotional.

What do you think so far? I have more thoughts but need your input at this point…

anita