> Empathy like all emotions require effort and cognitive load, and without things being mutual you will eventually slowly become drained, bitter and resentful because of empathy fatigue.

Do you have a source study or is this anecdotal, or speculative? Again, genuinely interested, as it’s a claim I see often, but haven’t been able to pin down.

(While attempting not to virtue-signal) I personally find it easier to empathize with people I don’t know, often, which is why I’m interested. I don’t expect mutual empathy from someone who doesn’t know who I am.

Equally, I try not to consume much news media, as the ‘drain’ I experience feels as though it comes from a place of empathy when I see sad things. So I think I experience a version of what you’re suggesting, and I’m interested in why our language is quite oppositional despite this.