Archive for November, 2009
The “Sympathy vs. Respect?” blog article produced lots of online and email responses. One common theme can be summarised: “I should be doing something even if the unhappy or unwell person doesn’t want it!”
Sam and Ulrica
I have made a composite of the comments and come up with a typical scenario:
1. Uneasy Ulrica is unwell or unhappy. Ulrica has explicitly said that she does not want sympathy. Nor does she want people empathising with her. Nor does she want people telling her how she ‘must be’ feeling.
2. Her friend, Sympathising Sam, naturally wants to respect and support Ulrica’s wishes. But Sam also wants to let Ulrica know that she is loved and supported and cared for. Read the rest of this entry »
