Have I done that to you, Fuzzybear? I would be very sorry if I thought I had. This might help: opinions by their nature are a reflection of the internal thought processes, observations or lack of observation, and personal biases of the person holding the opinion. Opinions are mostly better left unsaid. I think my friend's husband is a jerk who does not appreciate her. She isn't going to want to hear that opinion, so I keep it to myself, and I have to say that the reality is he has always been polite to me and I have never seen him say an unkind thing to her <--so it is really important I keep my opinion to myself!

Obviously you matter if anyone is attempting to force their opinions on you. You don't see people forcing opinions on lamp posts or the neighbor's cat, do you?

What you may be experiencing is someone trying to force you into, or to keep you in a particular role. You don't have to accept that. You don't have to actively fight it either (choose your battles wisely); your own observations and opinions are the most important to yourself--or they should be.

You might find it beneficial to read about dependent personality disorder. Wikipedia has a nice article on it. This is not to say I think you or the OP have this condition, not at all; and I recognize we are not to diagnose (I would not be qualified to do that, anyway). But I often find it helpful to read the literature surrounding a condition that has a symptom that seems definitive. In this case your and the OP's concern about empathy and caring about others. I hope this helps, and I urge you and the OP to disregard it if it does not.