It's important to understand this because most of the time, the far enemies-the real opposites-are not what get in the way in our attempt to cultivate meaningful connection with ourselves and other people. If we're not careful, the near enemies of emotions can drive us to be disconnected even when it can look or feel like connection. For example, the near enemy of compassion is pity-similar but different, and the far enemy is cruelty. Near enemies are states that appear similar to the desired quality but actually undermine it, while far enemies are the opposite of what we are trying to achieve. Through this book, I also discovered the concept of near enemy and far enemy. That part was really mind-opening for me personally рџЉ. On the other hand, sympathy is nothing like empathy and it's actually a form of disconnection.

The author dispel the myth that empathy is 'walking in someone else's shoes', but it's more about listening, understanding, and believing the other person's story. I used to think that empathy is when we have experienced what the other person is going through, while sympathy is showing compassion even when we haven't experienced it. Through this book, I learned the differences between empathy and sympathy. BrenГ© Brown also give practical examples that helped me grasp the true meaning of an emotion-I have to admit that before reading this book, I misunderstood and misused some of them. BrenГ© Brown's skill at storytelling doesn't really shine through this book, that's why I ended up giving this book a 4-star rating despite learning so much from it.Дividing them based on the circumstances helped me understand the meaning better as I reflect on my personal experiences regarding certain emotions. However, this book seems like an in-depth dictionary on various emotions and human experience-almost like a textbook, which can feel a bit dry at times. I definitely learned so much and ended up taking a lot of notes as I'm reading. At the start of this book, BrenГ© Brown emphasizes the importance of recognizing our emotions and being able to name them accurately-which will then help us to make meaningful connection with ourselves and others. That's why I was so excited when she announced the release of this book, which talks about making meaningful connection and understanding the language of human experience.

Her research helped me gain a new perspective about courage and vulnerability and changed my way of thinking about certain things. I've been a huge fan of BrenГ© Brown since a few years ago when I first read a book written by her.

Brene brown atlas of the heart