In Memoriam of Sympathy

The consequences of capitalism and the corporate machine on the Modern Day sympathetic system

I don’t believe that as a species, we are evolving anymore. At least, not for the better.

The concept of mental health and generic sympathy has become something of either legend or hysteria. Nine-to-five systems that have swept over the planet at a faster rate than light, it seems, have brainwashed and corroded our views of society and compassion.

Did you know that compassion-focused therapy (CFT) is a growing phenomenon at the effects it’s had on people’s mental health. It has been found that “CFT decreases the level of self‐criticism and increases the ability to experience soothing“¹. I wonder why?

I didn’t have to wonder for very long. Using simple deduction skills, which seems to be a trait that is seemingly in increasing decline, the answer is exceedingly clear.

Stressed? Just work from home, right?

I find it laughable that the concept of exceptional stress directly resulting in negative mental health is still a mystery to some people. I would provide a cite, but I fear that I do not want to attract the wrong sort…

The concept of ‘working from home’ (WFH) was a revolutionary concept popularised during the Covid19 Pandemic. A way to assert similar control through the concept of ‘away’ status’ on Teams and Slack, or whatever alternative spyware that should be considered malware, by my standards.

In the midst of a global pandemic, a world-wide issue which resulted in horrible effects to mental health, deaths and health anxiety across the masses, we remained glued in. In the face of global tragedy, the debate of whether to take a lunch break or not was still a dilemma in those of the WFH variety. In a situation that required more sympathy than ever before, I believe we as a species have failed exponentially. If Covid19 was the legendary day of reckoning, mentioned in countless Holy Books, I believe those us of left alive have just been subjected to hell.

How bad is it, really?

I sincerely believe we have found ourselves on the not-so-favourable side of the coin flip. To pause and take a look around at the state of society as a whole, the political landscape, global geo-politics, the shambolic state of international law and a complete disregard to the needs of the many over the few.

In short – yes. We are in hell.

In my opinion, that is.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, not at all, not even a little bit.

1. Vidal J, Soldevilla JM. Effect of compassion-focused therapy on self-criticism and self-soothing: A meta-analysis. Br J Clin Psychol. 2023 Mar;62(1):70-81. doi: 10.1111/bjc.12394. Epub 2022 Sep 29. PMID: 36172899; PMCID: PMC10087030. ↩︎