Empathy vs Sympathy

I've always been the person who empathizes with others. I know I do because when someone has a problem, I do my best to make them feel better and I go all out to help them, be it talking to them at any hour of the day, spending time with them until they feel better or helping them look for a new room when things are bad at their current place. For me, empathizing with someone is the same as putting yourself in their shoes, feeling what they feel and putting in the the time and effort to make them feel better.

However, I've never come across a single friend who has this same quality. Everyone I know sympathizes. That's easy. You listen, you say a few words and you never bother checking on them again and again to see how they are doing. You don't because it is a waste of your time. Why waste your time on someone else's problems when you can chase butterflies while sliding down rainbows?

Recently, I was talking to a friend and she told me about a video which describes empathy and compares it with sympathy and it articulates my thoughts perfects. Empathy feels connection. Sympathy drives diconnection.

Be the person who empathizes with others. Don't be the selfish person who wants others to lift you when you are down, but you don't bother doing the same when they are down, because life is too good when you are chasing butterflies on rainbows.