Is mind likely or even able to journey where heart has not already resided or at least visited as a tourist?

Question

OK, guess I've been too cryptic here. What I'm asking is can a person who has not somehow "touched" a situation or way of being emotionally, through their own experience or that of a loved one, even begin to comprehend or appreciate what that situation/mode of being is all about?

Answer 1

My mind is often forced to travel to places I shy away from even thinking about. It's called empathy. I identify with the suffering of the poor, the lonely, the victims of war and oppression.
I admit, identifying with the poor is easy for me. I've been poor, by western standards, all my life.

Answer 2

I think one can. I am responding primarily to your explanation of your question.

Merleau-Ponty, a contemporary, and rival, of Satre theorized that there is a kind of intimate connection that one can have with a loved one that can allow true understanding. He called this connection intersubjectivity. Now this leads to all sorts of strange metaphysics around the nature of self an other, but to put the philosophy aside; I think that kind of connection is possible too through my experiences interacting with other people.