Instinctual Empathy

Major events have crafted the United States and other nations into what they are today. Going from world wars in the 1940’s, to civil rights movements in the 1960’s, to extravagant national debt today, have all played a part in shaping our nation. Being from rural Mississippi, world news being made here is uncommon. We see all of our major news from televisions or newspapers, and this “news” is all happening elsewhere, far from here. Whether it is a good thing that we do not make the big news or not, the fear of uncertain events still lingers. From shootings in schools to bombings in cities, we are fortunate for being seemingly far from these dangers. Even though no physical effects pertain to me, mental pain and fear stays and leaves doubt

Mirror neurons have a significant influence on empathy. Empathy has seen a societal increase in interest in recent years. Many people have seen and/or participated in what is called “Random Acts of Kindness.” This is where you do something nice for someone and they are supposed to pay it forward. This causes the mirror neurons in your brain to fire off and make you feel as though you have an obligation to pay it forward when there is no actual obligation at all.

for a whole year grew in ways that i wouldn't imagine mostly mentally seeing the world different, and how people really are. I read a lot of books that i could relate to made sure i kept

Stop fucking watching it, you’re wasting your time. I don’t care if you’re watching Fox, NBC, whatever, stop watching it. The news may be a staple of your parents and grandparents’ nightly routine, but like The Cold War and Polio, this is

I can remember that particular Tuesday, I was getting ready for work and my brother an employee of American Airlines at the Los Angeles International Airport called the house and told my mother to turn on the t.v., because something was going on back home in New York. We would never imagine that it was something that made us drop to our knees in prayer. I could hear my mother say, “Oh My God, the building is on fire.” Just as she said those words, sitting there in a state of shock, we realized that we were watching the second airplane go through the other tower. We thought that it was a recap of what had already taken place until I looked at the bottom caption and it said “live.” It was something that you would see in a war movie. To see this unfold right before my eyes, I was sick. I began crying and said, “oh no what about our family.” They worked in the towers. A few of them on the top floors at least thirty stories up. My father grabbed the phone and immediately began to dial his sister who worked for the Chase Bank across the street from there. Her and my

Watching Sesame Street with the grandchildren seems a bit relaxing. Imagine all your relaxation flying out the window when you get a call from your husband to turn on the news. What feelings would you have. “What just happened? We all thought it was an accident, but realized this was planned. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I experienced that. I was scared for those people, and I had supplies built up for a while. I had extra water and food just in case. I was getting prepared.” We now know that our country will hurt

Many people can remember an average day of going to school, or meeting a friend for lunch, or shuffling around the office, or walking through a marketplace when startling news comes on TV. Quickly, strangers, friends, acquaintances, tall-short people, somebody people and nobody people are all huddled together listening to a normally stoic reporter read horrendous news:

Every now and then, the sounds of gunshots could be heard in the distance, signifying the tragic death of another. I felt bad for whoever the victim

In this edition of Fox Files, Greta Van Susteren leads us to an informative experience as she is on scene first hand witnessing thousands of refugees fleeing Syria and goes inside the effort to help the civilians fleeing the civil war. Claudia Caldwen talks to us about ‘The Bystander Syndrome’ case, and Griff Jenkins takes us to Alaska at a rare defense system in place in case of a nuclear threat. These stories show riveting details of things that as average Americans, we tend not to hear about and sometimes would rather not think about, but are all the while very important in today’s global society. This causes the problem that “Fox Files” may take things too seriously and focus mainly on the facts rather than trying to gain attention. Although,

In the past, I really didn’t watch the news because I wasn’t interested in the politics and all the bad news that was happening around the world. It was when Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were trying to get elected that I started getting intrigued with what was happening in this country. Every morning my dad would wake up to sit on the couch and watch the news; I started with just once a week and then gradually to every day sitting there with him to know what was happening. Hillary Clinton, accused of erasing emails, Donald Trump accused of molesting; when did I ever know so much about politics. Hillary wins Oregon, Donald wins Florida, and then

While Amanda is home for spring break during her junior year of college, her 15-year-old sister confides to her that she has started having sex with her 16-year-old boyfriend. She proudly explains to Amanda that the two of them discussed the decision carefully and went to the family planning clinic together. They decided to use the hormonal patch, which provides contraceptive protection for a week. They also use condoms as a backup measure because both of them are fearful of an unintended pregnancy. Neither one had ever had sexual intercourse before. Amanda is shocked by her little sister's news, and she tells her so. She believes her sister is too young for sexual intercourse, and she knows her parents would feel the same way. Her sister admits that her parents would disapprove but maintains that she has been mature and responsible in her decision making. She is surprised and resentful about Amanda's reaction, telling her that she is being an over-conservative prude and warning her not to tell their parents or she will never speak to her again. The two sisters have always had a close relationship and have shared many secrets over the years, but Amanda feels very torn this time. She believes that her sister has made a mistake that may be significant enough for her parents to become involved. In her own relationship, Amanda and her boyfriend have been talking about intercourse as well, although they have not yet taken that step. Amanda believes that the age difference between

1)One statement that compelled my attention while reading chapter five was, “empathy can be contagious. Seeing another’s empathy can heal hurts” (p.99). Empathy is understanding or feeling what another person is experiencing from placing oneself in another’s position. I believe if you see someone else going through a tough time that you can relate to with a situation you were once in it can help with your problem. You can start to think about how they feel and try to work toward forgiveness of them and yourself. You start to put yourself in their shoes and look at the other persons’ perspective of the situation. You then tend to help the person with the situation in which they are going through and start to take the advice that you gave to

It is quite easy to annoying someone and do not realize why your actions or speeches cause that effect. Empathy is really important on these situations because understanding others behavior is the key to see if you are boring someone or not.The two main causes of boring someone is talking banalities and who talks a lot and never get to the point.

Transition: I wasn’t always known as the person who was always late, it really blossomed around high school.

Sympathy is a word many hear, but few accurately understand. It is often confused with empathy, and many times true sympathy is occasional. Many people take a moment to feel bad or sorry for someone, yet they rarely give it another thought. As a class, we read a short story by James Joyce called Eveline. The first time reading this story, it was a bit confusing and quite irritating. As a woman of the 21st century, one whom is “fierce” and independent, I found it tough to sympathize with Eveline. “Stop your pity party and create a happier life.” This is what I found myself saying, after my initial reading. However, I took a step back and actually looked at the story. I remembered the context it takes place in. The year, country, and how different things were back then. Placing myself in Eveline’s shoes, a woman from the early 1900’s, assisted me in sympathizing with her.