Does anyone else feel empathy for inanimate objects?

Post Reply New Topic

I used to feel sorry for puddles. I thought they shivered when it was cold and windy.

The author of American Normal (an anti-labeling book about the diagnosis of AS) would go around his room saying goodnight to every object in the room every night... the tube of toothpaste, everything. So we certainly aren't alone.

Sometimes, I wonder if inanimate objects just want to be left alone to bask in their static state.

I do. It especially happens for me with my plushies, dolls, and action figures. I have a ton of them, and I start to feel bad if I don't give them all equal attention. Same goes for my imaginary friends, I feel bad if I think I'm neglecting any of them.

Its probably why I hoard certain items.

I agree; it's one reason why I hoarded a lot of garbage. (I also hoarded trash because I was a compulsive collector.)

Awwwww☹️ If you were my age I'd have to marry you, there's nothing worse that being made for something and never having the opportunity to experience what you were made for.

I have said sorry to objects under my breath when I've accidentally bumped into them

Oh yeah. Once in high school, they were serving turnovers at lunch, and everyone was grabbing the cherry and apple ones, leaving the peach turnovers almost completely untouched, so I grabbed one because I felt so sorry for it. I'm not even a big fan of peaches, but they just sat there while their cousins were getting scooped up by everyone else. It broke my heart.

How do you know I am not your age?

I often rant and apologize to inanimate things I have had for a long time, as if they are deliberately being non compliant or incompetent and then realize they can't help it because they have no knowledge or intelligence except what was imbued within them when crafted or whatever I project onto them lol. Then again, I feel a sense of terrible loss whenever I put something in a trashcan outside or if it falls on the floor and blows away, even like a piece of gum because I had chewed it and made some dim connection with it I feel sad and wonder whose shoe it's on now or if if a wrapper rolls down the gutter, is it floating in some miserable sewer now? which sounds like I'm nutty as a squirrel. Even when clouds drift out of sight or distant smoke trails and glimmers which are planes, I feel like it's gone away from my patch of existence forever. I still have some teddies in my room even despite being a grown ass dude, I would feel like part of me has died if I lost them, I suppose that holds some credence for empathy being acceptable since the childhood bond remains there.

I remember having a strong attachment to a stuffed toy Siamese cat when I was a little girl. Not too surprising that I have had two real Siamese cats, along with many other kitties, throughout my life.

My daughter has still not yet played with some Christmas presents, and it breaks my heart as I feel for those items so much.

I relate to almost all of the above. The abandoned stuffed animal gets me every time - though to be fair, half of the sadness is imagining the distress of whoever lost it. If they discarded it out of cruelty or carelessness, then all of my sympathy goes to the plush creature.
I also get a lot of satisfaction out of buying/using the runt object that was neglected.
In my head I often say "Thanks for your service, all duties discharged" when I throw away a container that is finally empty after many uses.
Anthropomorphism isn't limited to aspies, either. The Tom Hanks character in "Castaway" almost died trying to save his only friend, the volleyball.