Quote:
Originally Posted by yellowfrog268
I hate to be the fly in the ointment here but saying you "understand" something or someone is not the only context to be considered. For example--I know what will happen to me if I commit a felony crime. That understanding is not predicated on the idea that I've been in handcuffs or around anyone who has.
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Right, but you understand it because you heard or read about what happens when someone is arrested. That level of understanding is far greater than what lots of people understand about mental illness.
Also understanding the process behind something like arrest is different than trying to understand what drove the criminal to commit his/her crime in the first place. Understanding a process is completely different than understanding a person. Understanding a person requires empathy.