Pity is the overwhelming, manic sentiment that we feel for victims of circumstance. They learned to be helpless as a survival method, and people like you are the reason it works. They beg for your pity, and you give it to them because you recognize in them something you used to see in yourself.
Pitying ourselves is the core motivation for codependent behavior. When we pity someone, even people we don’t know, we would make any sacrifice just to see them smile.
Only with love can we act in our actual best interest or the best interest of others. It is with love that we say “no” and allow others the independence to strengthen themselves without our help.
Pity holds on for dear life; only love has the power to let go.
Not acting irrationally when unhealthy feelings arise is a lifelong struggle because what loving action looks and feels like can change between situations. The shadow of pity is hard to pin down, and even harder to evict. Love is just as hard to find, but even harder to keep.
Having one and not the other would change what it means to be human. Knowing and minding the difference is the key to emotional freedom.