Manipulating empathy?

[Mesmer]

I think this is also related to the question if empathy is a curse, or a gift. Though my answer is simply both.
However (being my first post I'm not sure where to start) i guess i am a natural empath, even when i was young this was something i could feel or sense in people. Though at what age you realize it is something abnormal I'm not sure, but even until i found this site, and read about it i did not realize what it actually was.
My question is about manipulating using this gift, for most of my life i have used and relied on my empathy, from removing myself in a violent situation or sensing someones attraction. You see, as i have never been able to understand empathy i have also struggled not to use it when, maybe i should not have. I'm curious if others have done the same, and how they know when is wrong and when is right.
I am a good moralled person, which comes with a strong religious upbringing. So i know what is right and wrong, yet i still struggle.

Is it right to use the fact you know somebody has feelings for you, or even try and impose those feelings on someone you like? Love is a blinding emotion, and feeling it can also make me jealous or intrigued.

Similarly, with anger, i often feel others pain or anger and become angry, usually at why its fair that i should share this. Again, is it right to impose anger pain on a person you dislike? To me it is not, and then i feel like i am picking and choosing the good and bad points.


I guess I'm confused, and curious if others find themselves asking the same questions.

Oh and hello =D

[Mr.Experiment]

Well to make someone love you, or to make some angry is like forcing someone to do somthing.
If in your morals somthing like slavery, or forcing someone or bossing others kind of is against yours then no, if it isnt then I guess you could.

~Jano

[niker]

Well I am trying to use this curse for good, to help others.
If you feel the same as people, you can understand them and give them what they need... and then perhaps get cool overload for it when you're not careful enough, and you can't even tell the people why are you acting that weird. Forget the word "help", it's more of a sacrifice, at least for me. But it's my business whether I want to momentarily sacrifice for someones' good or to leave people around you suffer and suffer with them even when they're far away from me... by helping others I help myself to get rid of symptoms of this wonderful "gift". To use it to manipulate others is the same as cursing them. Let people their free will, even if your will is sometimes bound by your abilities. Another thing is when they are trying to manipulate me, I can feel their intentions.. and I shoot back.

[frontin]

maybe look into sheilding or psi balls first and then go onto making shelids that block out the emotions and overloads.

[niker]

The point here is, if I can't get rid of it completely, I want to at least use it to help others. That is something you can't do shielded. Actually speaking of it, today I made a special shield that was able to reflect emotions back onto casters. In a crowded bus, my little victory Normal shield was too weak to hold all the emotions off.

[Intrigue]

Seems to me you're doing a good job so far. Emotions can be manipulated, yes. But the emotions must also be seeded first. Physical as well as psychic seeds are needed. To effect someone, there must first be a capability of that emotion, or at least some already present. Or, you can project your own upon someone else. Either way, the emotion must be present already in some aspect, not always, but its usually easiest.

Empathy is not always the massive curse some people make it out to be, if you can remain calm and focus, you'll find it is an extraordinary talent. Do what you can to help others, if you are willing, but what else talent for? Letting it gather dust is like casting away a diamond, something precious and irreplaceable.