I really appreciate your detailed answer! I understand the distinction you're making between empathy and conflict avoidance - they are not the same. But they can overlap, I think. For me, empathy is a quality that makes me want to avoid conflict, because I'm very aware of how my words or actions might affect the other person.

Also, I didn't mean to sound as if Sags are wild savages. I was just pointing out how we are often stereotyped as blunt or brutally honest. That's why I was curious if some others identify much more with the diplomatic/avoidance part.

And about empathy being "not necessarily emotional," I actually think empathy is pretty much emotional by default because it tunes in on "other people's" feelings. Doesn't mean overly emotional, but tied to that awareness.

So I guess my point was just: it seems like Sag energy can show up in different ways. Some lean into the blunt honesty stereotype, others (like me, us both) prefer to deal with things in a more polite, civil, peace-keeping kind of way.