There's actually a straightforward physical reason for it. The normal human brain contains a net of cells that are called "mirror neurons," because they mirror the feelings and (to a limited extent) the thoughts of other people. People who have a lot of mirror neurons are empaths. People who don't have any at all -- well, that's me; in Aspergers syndrome, none of the brain's neurons are set aside for mirror neuron duty, which is why people with Aspergers tend to have higher than usual IQs but are totally clueless at reading other people's feelings, picking up on nonverbal cues, and so on.
Now of course, as with anything else affecting human life, karma plays a factor in this; you incarnate in a given body because its strengths and weaknesses are the ones you need to give you the necessary experiences. But by the same token it's not something you can always do anything about. I spent much of my childhood being miserable because social interactions were a constantly frustrating puzzle to me, and it wasn't until I was diagnosed with Aspergers at 40 that I found it it's because 90% of human communication is nonverbal and I can't perceive any of it.
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branchandroot
Re: Attentiveness toward others
Date: 2023-08-14 06:36 pm (UTC)Now of course, as with anything else affecting human life, karma plays a factor in this; you incarnate in a given body because its strengths and weaknesses are the ones you need to give you the necessary experiences. But by the same token it's not something you can always do anything about. I spent much of my childhood being miserable because social interactions were a constantly frustrating puzzle to me, and it wasn't until I was diagnosed with Aspergers at 40 that I found it it's because 90% of human communication is nonverbal and I can't perceive any of it.