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Pandora Sykes's avatar

I HIGHLY recommend Against Empathy by psychologist Paul Bloom. It argues for rational compassion over empathy (for EG: if a doctor put himself in a patient’s shoes, he would likely make a bad medical decision.) It’s not a heartless project - far from it - but it’s radical because it’s exactly the opposite of what our media climate encourages. On that note - I really recommend David Aaronobitch’s newsletter, Notes from the Underground. Always compassionate, always rational.

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Shamila's avatar

Resonated with this. Never been able to watch a horror movie for fear of flashbacks when needing the toilet in the middle of the night. I have also found myself increasingly less able to watch the news as I simply cannot bear it. The feeling of overall helplessness and despair has just become insurmountable. The breaking point for me was when I saw the clip of the lady screaming that her children had died hungry. That they had been bombed and died hungry. I don’t think I will tune in properly to the news until there is a ceasefire, food/water/medicine is allowed in and the death count stalls.

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