Both Bloom and DFW’s arguments are on the basis of empathy and how we as a society should utilize it. In “Is Empathy Overrated?”, Bloom argues that although empathy is a choice, it is impossible to utilize in order to make societal impact. He compares empathy to “a spotlight with a narrow focus; it shines brightly on those we love and gets dim for those who are different or strange”(Bloom 2). It is difficult to relate to those who are unlike ourselves because we struggle to understand their background. This is an underlying negative to empathy. It can create great divides between people, our current day society is an example of this. With the limited range of empathy it is nearly impossible to consider the emotions of everyone around you. It gives people unknown biases about others’ plights. Overall, Bloom argues that although empathy can be good, there are better options. DFW sees a different perspective on this.
In, “This is Water”, DFW argues that empathy is something vital in our lives to “keep from going through your comfortable, prosperous, respectable adult life dead, unconscious, a slave to your head and to your natural default setting of being uniquely, completely, imperially alone day in and day out” (Wallace 4). He argues that if we think only for ourselves, we will go throughout our lives miserably. DFW speaks about empathy like it is an underknown superpower we all have. It is our choice then if we want to expand our minds and use empathy in order to change our world. In the context of our world, I mean each individual’s perspective and way of life. We make the choices for ourselves on how to live our lives, but often forget that we have the choice of how to think about life. After reading both articles, I felt more of a personal connection with DFW’s speech. As a very big empath myself, I understand how empathy can change a person’s life. In the past few years, I have dealt with many emotional and mental problems that made me a very cold person. I wasn’t always as caring and open-minded as I used to be, like DFW says, it was a choice that I made. I used to be standoff-ish towards others, had a pity me complex, and only looked out for myself. I see my old self a lot in the example that DFW uses about sitting in traffic and only caring about the “MY” complex. It wasn’t until I got help and with that realized the power I had in my life that changed it. I realized that I choose the way my life will be and how I feel about it. One big step in this journey for me was finally recognizing the emotions of others and the power those hold too. DFW’s speech was emotional for me to listen to and was a reminder to not slip into the way I used to be. I wholeheartedly agree with what he is saying.
