Blogger just released their new design software, so I was eager to experiment with the look of this blog. Sorry for the habitual editing, but I want to better understand HTML and social media, so playing with all the new gadgets is part of the syllabus. Any feedback, advice, tips and tricks are greatly appreciated.
On a more thoughtful note, something I have been struggling with during my year here is how to relate to the people I work for (marginalized communities) and how to express why I chose to do this work. How do I treat people with empathy without slipping into unproductive sympathy?
Empathy- intellectual & emotional awareness and understanding of another person’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior even that are distressing.
Sympathy- sharing another’s feelings especially in sorrow or trouble through imaginative identification with the other’s situation
Empathy emphasizes understanding while sympathy is more about sharing feelings and experiences. I have steadily come to realize that because of my ability to stand up and leave at any time, among other things, rooting my willingness to help spread people-driven development (aka grassroots, local, etc) in sympathy is shallow and unproductive.
My friend Rachel passed this along and now I toss it your way ...
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