How can I work on my empathy for victims of crimes?

[NightHawkBuzz]

I eventually want to become a politician. I am wondering how I can work on my empathy for bad victims of crimes. I have empathy for good people but for bad people I lack it. 

I find it hard to have empathy for people whose actions I disagree with such as a jealous psyho boyfriend or other people's actions and morals I disagree with and don't like.

I am wondering how I can work on having empathy for bad victims of crimes. I am wondering how I can develop empathy for people I feel are bad people who have been in horrible crimes politicians deal with whether that be a mass shooting, terrorist attack etc. I have empathy for good people but for bad people I lack it. 

Also, how can I stop thinking about the worthiness of bad victims to obtain justice. I have a backwards way of thinking about large crimes which is the worthiness of bad victims to obtain justice how can I stop this backwards way of thinking?

Edited September 8, 2023 by NightHawkBuzz

[hyruga]

Just sit in front of your computer and watch war victims over and over again until you cry.

[flowboy]

@NightHawkBuzz That's what shadow work is for.

Whatever, whoever you judge and cannot muster empathy for, is part of your shadow.

Through shadow work (which is a psychological process you do on yourself) you make contact with the projection (the bad qualities you are perceiving) and assuming its perspective (looking through their eyes) and then describe your feelings and wants and thoughts.

This is something you can do in a journal.

It builds empathy because you find out that every tendency and quality is something you also have inside you.

And if you've never done such a terrible thing, you have the potential.

(do you have a part of you screaming NO this is bullshit, this guy is a liar / doesn't know what he's talking about? That's your shadow )

[NightHawkBuzz]

@hyruga 

4 hours ago, hyruga said:

Just sit in front of your computer and watch war victims over and over again until you cry.

do you really think that will help? 

[hyruga]

4 hours ago, NightHawkBuzz said:

@hyruga 

do you really think that will help? 

Sure why not.

You are what you think about so this is the fundamental idea at the very least. Just keep watching war videos and try to put yourself into the shoes of victim and eventually you will feel it. Everyone has some forms of emotions in them (unless they are handicapped). You build an identity feeling for the victims and you will understand them more deeply.

You have so many videos to watch from. You are not living in year 1800 when you only can rely on books or newspaper to read. You can easily view videos online these days to know more about their plight.

[Thought Art]

Read books about the lives if these people and how they become they way they are. Contemplate it. Trip once or twice. Feel. Contemplate. 

[NightHawkBuzz]

@Thought Art

Do you have any books to recommend? 

Edited September 8, 2023 by NightHawkBuzz