[randomsilence]

>If I have empathy toward you, it will be painful if you’re suffering. It will be exhausting. It will lead me to avoid you and avoid helping. But if I feel compassion for you, I’ll be invigorated. I’ll be happy and I’ll try to make your life better.

He puts his statement shortly after into perspective, but it's dangerous to state that empathy is exhausting in general. It is only exhausting if somebody doesn't have the means to help.

>If you and I are the only people on earth and you’re in pain and I can help you and make your pain go away, and I feel empathy toward you and so I make your life better, empathy has done something good. But the real world is nowhere near as simple