What has truly become of the human spirit?  What is “imagined” vs. what is “real”?  In my thoughts and ideas I knew the meaning of the word empathy but I decided to look up how the Webster-Mirriam Dictionary folks define it.

            In the Webster-Mirriam Dictionary “empathy” would be defined as follows:

Main Entry: em·a·thy ">
Pronunciation: 'em-p&-thE
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek empatheia, literally, passion, from empathEs emotional, from em- + pathos feelings, emotion -- more at PATHOS
1 : the imaginative projection of a subjective state into an object so that the object appears to be infused with it
2 : the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner; also : the capacity for this

            It’s not a particularly “bad” definition.  Although I don’t quite agree with emotions/feelings being “imaginatively” projected.  Certainly in some cases some individuals may press to believe they connect more so with some others than is there in actuality (hence certain stalker situations that some people go through). 

            But overall, as a whole I cannot believe that connections are merely “imagined”.  It’s more believable that the Western ends of the world as well as other places are just becoming more and more disconnected and cynical.  And it would be those very people looking to “control” and “define” everything.

            It’s even more saddening to see how quickly roots/origins/history has been being forgotten and wiped away like it never was.  In some ways I believe to forget where we have come from is to lose one’s soul and spirit. 

            And if you lose that, then there really isn’t much left.  Not to say that we should be “living in the past”.  But in order to continue to grow and develop and truly advance we have to know and be fully aware of where we’ve come from.

            Of course there may be things that we don’t want to remember or are ashamed to admit or reflect on as far as anyone’s individual roots/origins.  But again to me, you cannot have all “good” without the “bad”.  Nobody is perfect.  And I don’t see the pendulum of “right” and “wrong” to stop swinging anytime soon.

            Too many times the constant push has been “Can we do it?” rather than asking ourselves “Should we do it?”

            Too many times it is the people with the heart and soul and thoughts of reason that are obliterated or just labeled as the “crazies” by the mass society.  The mass society that I refer to as the “human locusts”.  The ones who will consume everything in sight with little to no reason. 

            I cannot believe that what I feel and how I have “connected” to others is simply “imagined”.  To me, aside from the further scientific studies that we continue to try and discover through the labyrinths of human minds, “empathy” like that of a sixth or seventh sense.

            Words and speech actually make up so little of any species communication structure.  Even us as humans, we rely so much more on body language and other “signals” from fellow humans rather than believe any words spoken or written.

            Not to say that the written word doesn’t hold any meaning.  But it still relies heavily on what you actually see and feel behind the words.

            No one will ever tell me that I don’t really “connect” with animals or other certain human individuals.  No one will ever tell me that it is just “imagined”.

            Tell that to the feral cats and kittens that have clung to me and not lashed out that would have taken anyone else’s arm off.  Tell that to the countless adult Sea lions who could have easily knocked me down or done serious damage but never did.  Tell that to all the birds and countless other wildlife that I have encountered that has never harmed me but could have.