Some people will tell you that empathy’s a gift; that it’s a blessing – you were born with it, and that your job is to walk through this world feeling everybody’s pain and being a healer. Other people like Carl Jung will tell you that it’s a defense mechanism; that’s a skill you learned in order to survive the demands of a dysfunctional household, where knowing the right things to say – or the right things NOT to say – was a skill you picked up in order to avoid pain – maybe even emotional or physical abuse…