Mindset Mondays with DTK – Ep #067 — Sympathy is a force multiplier.Way back in Episode #005 (3/5/18), we played with Teddy Roosevelt's idea that "Comparison if the thief of joy." When I read this quote by Oscar Wilde, I first thought that this week's conversation would snap back to dire warnings against comparison or that we were spiraling toward a conversation about 'leaning into celebration and away from jealousy' … And then it hit me: this is Wilde's invitation to intentionality and changing the world at an energetic level."Anyone can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, butit requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success."As the animals that humans are, we are wired for sympathy. This is most often expressed as sympathy with pain – a sympathetic response to the suffering of another individual with whom we have or can imagine a connection. That's easy: That's biology. Instinct. Humanity.Sympathy with joy … now THAT is a higher order! And given the simple truth that what we put our attention to expands, sympathy with joy – a sympathetic response to the joy of another individual – expands joy in the world. That to which you show sympathy will expand … What would it be like to expand joy?
Posted by David Taylor-Klaus on Monday, May 20, 2019
Mindset Mondays with DTK – Ep #067 — Sympathy is a force multiplier.
Way back in Episode #005, we played with Teddy Roosevelt’s idea that “Comparison if the thief of joy.”
So when I read this quote by Oscar Wilde, I first thought that this week’s conversation would snap back to dire warnings against comparison or that we were spiraling toward a conversation about ‘leaning into celebration and away from jealousy’ … And then it hit me: this week’s quote is Wilde’s invitation to intentionality and changing the world at an energetic level.
“ANYONE CAN SYMPATHIZE WITH THE SUFFERINGS OF A FRIEND, BUT IT REQUIRES A VERY FINE NATURE TO SYMPATHIZE WITH A FRIEND’S SUCCESS.”
As the animals that we humans are, we are wired for sympathy. This is most often expressed as sympathy with pain – a sympathetic response to the suffering of another individual with whom we have or can imagine a connection. That’s easy: That’s biology. Instinct. Humanity.
Sympathy with joy … now THAT is a higher order! And given the simple truth that what we put our attention to expands, sympathy with joy – a sympathetic response to the joy of another individual – expands joy in the world. That to which you show sympathy will expand …
What would it be like to expand joy?
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