Introduction to Empathy Empathy is often confused with the feeling of sympathy. Sympathy offers the attempt to relate to what another person is feeling. When a person is sympathetic, you hear the sentiment, "Oh, I know how you (must) feel." This is not empathy. So what is it then? Empathy is the Force-technique of actually knowing how another person feels. It's the actualization of the saying that one can "walk in another man's shoes." Empathy requires awareness and training. Everyone is empathic to one degree or another, though people seldom realize it. For instance, have you ever felt ill at ease or sad for no apparent reason? The feelings did not relate to what was going on in your life, but you felt sad just the same? There's a good chance you were empathically sensing the emotions of a person near you, or close to you unconsciously. When you're sensing other people's emotions unchecked, the experience can be very exhausting. With the awareness that emotions are picked up empathically, it is your responsibility to develop some minimal Force-shielding so that you can control how much you sense. This series on empathy will come from my own lectures and exercises (five parts). As we go, questions and comments are of course welcomed :) Feel free to e-mail me directly sparklerv@hotmail.com or visit the Academy of Life forums. Ready to move on to the first exercise? Let's begin!