Viewing the world with empathy is like quality breathing.

They both connect you with yourself and the world.  The test is whether you act your worst towards the worst at your worst - not whether you treat someone well when you are fine and they are fine.  We can all do that.  When we are empathetic we are full of love.  If there are disturbances in our empathy they reflect disturbances or concentrations within us.  That is, we are still living separately from the world and ourselves.  We are still living a life of illusions, separation and forms.  We are choked off.  I wonder what other ways there are to connect to myself and the world.