I guess I'll title this: "I. Empathetic" (Get it?)
I've recently been told that I'm extremely empathetic - almost to a dangerous X-Men type level. Add to that my tendency to over give of myself and lack of return on that investment and you've got quite a complex person to examine. This same authority has informed me that I should find confidence and happiness within myself and not rely so heavily on the schizophrenic nature of everyone around me. Hmm, ok - that's great in theory, but would I be happier in a cave all alone as long as I'm self-assured and confident? Hell no! Would you? I doubt it. So external validation seems to me to be a normal ingredient in confidence and happiness, right? If everyone told you that you were an 'ugly idiot' then how would you find that confidence and self worth with all of those negative influences? Then there's the empathy-factor - if someone around me is sad or down, I can feel their sadness and experience it, which is a gift I guess, but also a curse....