I’m one of those people who when I watch a movie with sick people (whether puking, virus, bleeding, pustules, zombie apocalypse…well you get the idea), I feel sick myself. I’m empathetic, probably to a grossly exaggerated degree. And it’s not just with movies. When my friends get too drunk and…well…you know…ugh even talking about this is making me nauseous. Anyways, I feel for people when they are suffering. Even if they’re just overheated and uncomfortable, I have empathy. Basically, I have a very strong connection with those around me.
When it comes to creativity, I think this empathy is a great thing. I am supernaturally capable of feeling things without having to actually experience them. That’s great since I don’t really have to ever subject myself to the gut-wrenching, blood and diarrhea pouring from my body, beautiful disaster of any disgusting virus or disease or epidemic in order to write about it.
Now that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t, it just means I have a little bit of an out when it comes to my imagination. I should go surfing, eat Indian food in India, consider hang gliding, help people when there is a crisis even though all those things could end with me in a hospital. Yes, I’m a very empathetic person and that makes me vulnerable to a lot of feelings, but it also makes me compassionate.
So all I’m trying to say is that being empathetic helps me imagine scenarios (terrible, horrible scenarios…trust me, you don’t want to be inside my head), but it’s not a reason to hide in my house. Neither is anxiety, which I’ll talk about on the blog soon.