My sister was very unfair to me, and while I can sympathize with her, I find it difficult to put myself in her position and experience what it’s like to be her. Will I ever be able to have compassion toward her without my having empathy?
Not having empathy right now toward your sister does not imply you can’t do it in the future. Yes, empathy can open the door to compassion. Sympathy, or feeling sorry for her, also may be one of the doors to your eventual development of compassion. Yet, as you are seeing, empathy is the deeper, even a more challenging approach. Here are some questions that might help you develop empathy toward your sister: Was your sister hurt by others in her past? How deeply do you think was she hurt? Is she still carrying emotional wounds from this? Can you see your sister’s struggles in life? Your answers may lead to a greater empathy for her as you see her internal, emotional wounds from her point of view.
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