Here's the thing about pity: if someone is being pitied, it means they are having trouble or a weak moment. It implies they are having too hard a time or may deserve being looked down on for something (whether they are being looked down on or not). Some people don't want to admit to themselves or others that they are not strong enough to be above being bothered by something or having problems, and since pity is taken as a sign of these, they don't want it. They don't want to be pitied because they want to put out a certain front and be viewed in a way that for them does not leave room for pity.
Also, people who don't want pity, are the people who when they pity someone, they look down on that person. There are plenty of people who do that, because people in general are weak and need to feel superior so that they feel better about themselves. They don't want the pity because when THEY pity, they look down, so they feel as if when they are pitied, they are being looked down on
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Okay, I'll buy that. I do, however, firmly believe that a true sign of a strong character is vulnerability, and the readiness to admit a bad situation. But hey, I'm not even there yet.
Humans are shitty things, but my stance is that pity is one and the same with empathy. I don't know a lot of people who would truly look down on someone's issues unless they had a significant personal vendetta against them.
Yeah, I was thinking about it, and found there wasn't too much I could write. Pity is easily exhaustible, I guess.
Here is the thing. Pity is not an emotion. It is a thought that you have about someone. They are in a situation you would rather not be in. They are in a situation you do not want them to be in. That entails other emotions you feel around that. However, pity itself is not an emotion
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All the same, pity, at least for me, is something you can't really control. You can choose not to express it, which I think most people would, but choosing whether or not to pity someone for me, is impossible.
Very much agreed--thought I mostly refer to people I know who moan endlessly about their problems, and when you say genuinely, "I feel really sorry for you," they will come back with "I don't want your pity."
I like your theory on balance, though. I think it holds true in a lot of ways.
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Also, people who don't want pity, are the people who when they pity someone, they look down on that person. There are plenty of people who do that, because people in general are weak and need to feel superior so that they feel better about themselves. They don't want the pity because when THEY pity, they look down, so they feel as if when they are pitied, they are being looked down on ( ... )
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Humans are shitty things, but my stance is that pity is one and the same with empathy. I don't know a lot of people who would truly look down on someone's issues unless they had a significant personal vendetta against them.
Yeah, I was thinking about it, and found there wasn't too much I could write. Pity is easily exhaustible, I guess.
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Very much agreed--thought I mostly refer to people I know who moan endlessly about their problems, and when you say genuinely, "I feel really sorry for you," they will come back with "I don't want your pity."
I like your theory on balance, though. I think it holds true in a lot of ways.
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