npd pwnatious

you don't owe empathy to anyone

empathy is the ability to feel somebody's emotions as though they are affecting you personally. for example, somebody tells you "my dog died last night!" -> you now feel as though you've lost a pet personally -> you feel grief and sadness just like the other person. not everyone has empathy. it's a trait some people develop and others don't. some have high empathy, some have low empathy, some (like me) have none.

sympathy is the ability to understand and care about somebody else's struggles, even if you don't feel them yourself. so, somebody tells you their dog died -> you realize how this affects them emotionally -> you care about this person, and are upset that they are suffering. not everyone has sympathy either! it's a scale, just like empathy.

compassion is doing something to relieve another person's suffering or make them feel better. somebody tells you their dog died -> you don't want them to remain upset -> you come up with ways to help them feel better, like offering comfort and distractions, or other forms of support. compassion is a learned trait, not something you can be born with like empathy or sympathy. anyone can learn to be compassionate, although some may struggle more with it than others; it's a skill, just like anything else.

narcissists are arrogant, self-obsessed, egocentric, insecure, antagonistic, callous, irritable, so on and so forth. some of us (such as Myself) are all of these things, and every one of us fits at least some.

anti-narc sanism will never truly be addressed if those who defend us say "they're not selfish/attention-seeking/uncaring! they're just traumatized and struggling," because that's just not true.

most of us are those things because we're traumatized/struggling; these conditions aren't mutually exclusive, but directly influence and cause each other.

Madagascan Giant Water Bug (Lethocerus oculatus), family Belostomatidae, Vohimana Reserve, Madagascar

They have a painful "bite". They actually have a piercing mouth part. They are not usually aggressive, but will pierce you in defense.

This is a large predatory aquatic insect.

Absolutely!!!

Snot Otter

Protect Our Sharks

todays bird

One Nice Bug Per Day

Vintage Wildlife

Nix Draws Stuff (paleontology)

organicmatter.tumblr.com

@fullfrontalfish

North American Bird of the Day!

Nature Never Hurries

The Bug Girl

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus), EAT A TASTY BUG!!!, family Meropidae, order Coraciiformes, Malaysia

Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), family Casuariidae, northern Australia

Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), family Casuariidae, northern Australia

Northern Cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus), family Casuariidae, northern New Guinea

Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), family Casuariidae, northern QLD, Australia

Northern Cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus), family Casuariidae, northern New Guinea

Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), father with chick, family Casuariidae, outside Daintree NP, northern QLD, Australia

* Considered endangered in Australia.

Photograph b y Jesper van der Pol

Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), male, family Casuariidae, northern QLD, Australia

Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), family Casuariidae, order Casuariiformes, Etty Bay, northern Australia