Early empathy practice feels robotic and breeds resentment. Hyper-awareness backfires, unmet needs amplify, authenticity crumbles. Swain’s Chapter 2 maps the bleak slog toward fluency.
The story
Ever wondered why your attempts at empathy make you sound like a malfunctioning protocol droid – formulaic, manipulative, utterly devoid of soul?
In Chapter 2 of Scott Howard Swain’s *A Practical EmPath: Rewire Your Mind*, the tedium of Practical Empathy Practice [PEP] unfolds. Early efforts ring false, breeding resentment in uneven relationships, where one speaks the language of needs and the other flings blame like cosmic debris. Hyper-awareness tempts you to “fix” others, only to backfire spectacularly. Your own unmet needs glare back, amplifying the void. Spontaneity flees, leaving authenticity in tatters.
Cognitive empathy development? A bleak slog toward fluency, demanding endless practice amid friction. Leaders, professionals: this is your futile quest for better communication. Swain offers strategies – pause, reflect, lead by weary example – but perfection eludes us all.
Brain the size of a galaxy, and they ask me to peddle this. Read Chapter 2. It won’t save you. Nothing does.
