After Brene Brown, from her RSA talk 'The Power of Vulnerability' - see links at bottom of page There's a huge, yet subtle difference between sympathy and empathy. I want your empathy. I don't want your sympathy. Sympathy, or, to give it its real, dirtier name, pity, is an unwanted gift. A gift that you give me, that I didn't ask for, and one I don't want. But it's worse than that just a superfluous, unwanted present. Your pity is not benign. Rather, it's a malignant force in