Aha, I got ya Texan
If you believe in the whole sharing your self with others then you might be intrested in reading works by Nel Noddings. She talks alot about feeling compasion with others, and being in them, but manages to explain it in what she claims are philosophical terms, and as myticism.
Her book is Caring, a Femine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education. (Berkly 1984).
I dont personaly agree with it though. When I feel compasion for someone I believe its because I can imagine my self in a similar situation, or becuase I have personaly been in the a simlar situation.
Its the same with playing chess, I can only pick the persons next move if I know them really well, or have taken time to observe thier body langue and playing style. Im certainly not sharing anything with the other person, or knowing thier thoughts, I can only make an educated guess as to what thier thoughts maybe, and the better I know the person the more educate my Guess will be.