From: rhinoceros (rhinoceros@freemail.gr)
Date: Tue Apr 23 2002 - 14:31:38 MDT
[rhinoceros 3]
I had some second thoughts on Empathy.
[Kalkor 1]
Now, the way I see it, "the ability to see from another's perspective" is being defined as empathy, with an aside that empathy is "the basis of many of the qualities that we hold in highest regard". However, this does not mean that "kindness, charity, mercy, welfare, forgiveness" ARE empathy, only that they are behaviors founded on the "sense" that is empathy.
[rhinoceros 3]
In the thread "Infection and Neosporin", I noticed the following interesting quotations by famous Zionists.
Quote 1: Why should the Arabs make peace? If I were an Arab leader, I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. Sure, God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? There has been anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we came here and stole their country. Why should they accept that?
(David Ben-Gurion sourced from Nahum Goldmann's "The Jewish Paradox")
Quote 2: Before [the Palestinians] very eyes we are possessing the land and the villages where they, and their ancestors, have lived… We are the generation of colonizers, and without the steel helmet and the gun barrel we cannot plant a tree and build a home.
(Moshe Dayan, sourced from Benjamin Beit Hallahmi's "Original Sins - Reflections on the History of Zionism and Israel)
The first quotation says that the Palestinians have an understandable point of view and the Israelis have another point of view ("God promised it to us" and "There has been anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz"), so the Arabs would never agree to make peace (implying that war is unavoidable).
The second one says that the Palestinians have an understandable point of view and the Israelis have also a valid point of view ("plant a tree and build a home"), so guns must speak.
Now, "the ability to see from another's perspective" is there, but we wouldn't call this empathy. The aside about empathy being "the basis of many of the qualities that we hold in highest regard" seems equally important.
---- This message was posted by rhinoceros to the Virus 2002 board on Church of Virus BBS. <http://virus.lucifer.com/bbs/index.php?board=51;action=display;threadid=25404>
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