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These Stories About Broken Things Prove That Human Empathy Has No Limits
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These Stories About Broken Things Prove That Human Empathy Has No Limits

People Share Weirdest Things They Got Emotionally Attached ToPeople Of Tumblr Share Stories About Feelings For Broken Objects, And You'll Probably RelateThese Stories About Broken Things Prove That Human Empathy Has No LimitsPeople Share How They Felt Empathy For Broken Things, And Who Knew An Ugly-Looking Lime Can Make You CryWeirdly Wholesome Stories By People Who Feel Empathy For Broken ThingsTumblr Users Share Stories How They Bonded With Broken Things And It's The Sweetest Thing You'll Read TodayTumblr Users Share Stories How They Bonded With Damaged Things And It's Heart-MeltingThese Stories About Broken Things Prove That Human Empathy Has No LimitsThese Stories About Broken Things Prove That Human Empathy Has No LimitsThese Stories About Broken Things Prove That Human Empathy Has No Limits
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One could easily argue that empathy is our, as human kind’s, defining characteristic. Although studies show that certain other species posses this feature, empathy in humans is, perhaps, the easiest to recognize. And it’s no wonder that we understand and relate to each other, with vast majority understanding not only a fellow human’s, but also a puppy’s or baby elephant’s misery. However, we rarely think of how we actually relate to and perceive suffering in inanimate objects. It’s, perhaps, most apparent in the way children treat their dolls and plush toys, but it also extends to other items. People of Tumblr shared some stories of how they treat broken things and it’s absolutely fascinating as well as… relatable? Scroll down to read what they had to say and tell us what you think! (Facebook cover image: Daniel Morrison)

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Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė

Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė

Author, Community member

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As a writer and image editor for Bored Panda, Giedrė crafts posts on many different topics to push them to their potential. She's also glad that her Bachelor’s degree in English Philology didn’t go to waste (although collecting dust in the attic could also be considered an achievement of aesthetic value!) Giedrė is an avid fan of cats, photography, and mysteries, and a keen observer of the Internet culture which is what she is most excited to write about. Since she's embarked on her journalistic endeavor, Giedrė has over 600 articles under her belt and hopes for twice as much (fingers crossed - half of them are about cats).

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Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė

Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė

Author, Community member

As a writer and image editor for Bored Panda, Giedrė crafts posts on many different topics to push them to their potential. She's also glad that her Bachelor’s degree in English Philology didn’t go to waste (although collecting dust in the attic could also be considered an achievement of aesthetic value!) Giedrė is an avid fan of cats, photography, and mysteries, and a keen observer of the Internet culture which is what she is most excited to write about. Since she's embarked on her journalistic endeavor, Giedrė has over 600 articles under her belt and hopes for twice as much (fingers crossed - half of them are about cats).

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Kiss Army
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I normally adhere to "adopt, don't shop" but once my husband and I were in a pet store around Easter getting supplies for our pets and they had bunnies for sale and one of them was missing half his ear. I thought for sure no one would get him because they wanted perfect "Easter" bunnies, so we bought him. His name was Booboo and he was awesome!!

Naomi Armitage
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something must have happened to me as a kid, because to this day (I'm almost 50), the sight of a balloon flying away breaks my heart. Maybe it's the idea of something you liked (loved?) that's going away and you can never get it back. I can't deal.

diane a
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a balloon phopia - cant bear touching them in case they pop . All originated from a childrens party game where we had to race to a chair and sit on the balloon to pop it. Really hurts on bare legs

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Melissa Nunya
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to house sit for a lady who bought all the dying scraggly plants that were marked way down at the nursery :) she saved most of them

K. LNU
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love the "sale" plants at the garden stores. Almost all my flowers and small bushes were those poor things left on the shelves. (Strangely, they seem to last longer, grow bigger than those that were not on sale.)

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
Kiss Army
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I normally adhere to "adopt, don't shop" but once my husband and I were in a pet store around Easter getting supplies for our pets and they had bunnies for sale and one of them was missing half his ear. I thought for sure no one would get him because they wanted perfect "Easter" bunnies, so we bought him. His name was Booboo and he was awesome!!

Naomi Armitage
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something must have happened to me as a kid, because to this day (I'm almost 50), the sight of a balloon flying away breaks my heart. Maybe it's the idea of something you liked (loved?) that's going away and you can never get it back. I can't deal.

diane a
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a balloon phopia - cant bear touching them in case they pop . All originated from a childrens party game where we had to race to a chair and sit on the balloon to pop it. Really hurts on bare legs

Load More Replies...
Melissa Nunya
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to house sit for a lady who bought all the dying scraggly plants that were marked way down at the nursery :) she saved most of them

K. LNU
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love the "sale" plants at the garden stores. Almost all my flowers and small bushes were those poor things left on the shelves. (Strangely, they seem to last longer, grow bigger than those that were not on sale.)

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
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