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What Does Compassion Look Like for a Narcissist?
When empathy becomes ammunition, and family loyalty becomes a life sentence.
I love it when someone starts a conversation with:
“I know this is going to sound narcissistic, but…”
Because you know damn well that whatever comes out of their mouth next is going to sound narcissistic.
That warning is a gift! A clear signal that it’s time to head for the nearest exit. But what happens when you’re trapped in a room with no exit? What do you do when you can’t simply walk away?
What happens when that someone is a relative? A close relative.
Someone whose presence in your life isn’t merely a matter of choice, but is tangled in decades of family history, obligation, guilt, pity, and that deeply ingrained belief that family is family.
And family takes care of family.
The Family Obligation Trap
Imagine spending years tolerating someone’s shit.
Years of being dumped on emotionally. Years of giving, accommodating, forgiving, rescuing, and rationalizing behavior that you would never tolerate from a stranger.
