I think if your empathy with someone you see suffering overwhelms you with suffering yourself, this is a sign that you have not fully come over to the other’s place. You are still a spectator of someone else’s pain. Your empathy has not gone far enough. You see a hungry person begging for food. As a spectator, you can always look away or walk away. But the truly compassionate person cannot leave the other there suffering. They feel they must carry them if necessary until they find food. They cannot walk away from their hunger.
