I think a lot of us here (what few of us are left) are obviously very technically minded people. When you see a problem, your instinct is to fix it. I know because I want to fix everything too. Wanting to fix things even happens when you see someone with a problem. I think this is either a guy thing, or a geek thing or maybe a little bit of both. You want to either fix the person or the problem and make everything better. It's just the natural reaction. Thing is though, not everything needs to be fixed. Not everything CAN be fixed. Sometimes people just want to talk and aren't looking for someone else to fix or solve their problems. This is where empathy comes in.

Empathy is not sympathy. Sympathy is when you feel sad for someone and take pity with someone or feel sorry for someone. Empathy is just having the ability to relate to someone and to be able to understand them and listen to them. The ability to give someone else your time as they try to find their way through whatever it is they are going through. Empathy is something that is really lacking in society these days in my opinion.