Am I mad? Most certainly, as Alice said: "We are all mad here" Yet in my case that also means "More Attentive Daily", as I uncover new things in my outside world, and more importantly, in my inner being.
I've never considered myself much of an empath, since I seem to not be plagued by emotions as much as those around me, but on the other hand I do sense the emotions of others, and recognize them from a time where I felt the same. So maybe that is empathic: not being pulled into other people's emotions and suffering with them, but acknowledging those emotions and helping them deal with it themselves.