It is a challenge to sustain empathy for those choosing to not get vaccinated. And I say that - having family members I care about who are choosing to not get vaccinated. It makes me question the very nature of Empathy. What is it? What is its purpose? (Obviously it has a purpose). I believe it is what pushes us to help others when we have the capacity to help. Concerned feeling are all very nice, but their actual helpfulness is limited. If my empathy pushes me to say, “Hey, I care about you. I’m concerned. Can we talk politely about vaccination? Its pros and cons?” But if that person is still not interested or loathe to look at actual statistics, at that point, the empathy gets rather pointless. Yes, I care, but it become the traffic accident that you are helpless to prevent. At a certain point I detach a little bit and what happens, happens. It is sad, but out of my control. There is a side of that simply starts to accept that some of these folks are going to get sick, maybe very sick. A little part of me that is more practical than empathetic feels a little satisfaction when I read of those who fall ill from their stupidity and I hope it spurs more to take vaccination seriously. Like part of me is willing to see a few losses in hopes of a greater good. And I am a little horrified when I see that in myself. It is indeed a tightrope to maintain empathy - to continue to care - when so much chosen ignorance is at play.
I know what you’re talking about re: being horrified when I see that very same reaction in myself. I’m hoping It may serve a greater good and convince more people. Today I was listening to a story about the exit from Afghanistan, and how the days of occupying nation building military initiatives may be over (I’ll believe it when I see it) but the days of fighting terrorism are not. Because terrorist acts will likely still kill some Americans here and some Americans there and therefore be of concern. And my internal reaction was: Will it? I mean, here we are with so many people being blasé about 600K Americans dying in a year, are those same people going to care about a few here and a few there? I can’t see how. Something has broken in our society.
I'm not sure what the answer is there. I'm not excusing their actions, but terrorism does not exist in a vacuum. For every child that grows up without a father or a brother, or a mother, or a sister... for every child who has seen grandparents or neighbors die in awful ways... collateral damage from what might be the best intentions for the greater good. Every single one is a seed for future horrific acts.
The grief of seeing one's homeland destroyed, one's people dispersed... that is implanted for the rest of their lives. How can it not skew one's perception of right and wrong? When I consider the self perpetuating cycle in Israel and Gaza- yes, it is reasonable to want to defend oneself if your neighbors are sending rockets. But a repressed population that is treated like second class citizens has every reason to be angry.
It seems like at times the population of the planet needs to go on antidepressants for a generation or two to subdue the perfectly reasonable outrage so that there is time for healing. That is what an inflammatory does with the body. I believe that most folks wish for peace and are inclined to get along with others on an individual level. How can one silence the voices that incite while still protecting free speech?
I keep returning to the power of the stories we tell. Whether those stories are from Hollywood, or the gossip we share over the fence, I do think that there is power in choosing stories that extoll kindness. Drama pays the media's bills but it does not make a better world. Kindness can harvest more kindness if it is planted systematically and with persistence. I'm tired of sarcastic anti heroes with lots of hubris and no moral compass. I want heros who have compassion. Sincerity is beautiful. The ugliness seems too hard to tackle and overwhelming but a tidal wave of consistently kind acts by ordinary people would make a difference on the planet. That is the only way terrorism can truly be defeated.
I’m so with you on the kind of stories I have stomach for. Give me heart. Give me people to root for who are trying to be better every day. Give me Ted Lasso over, say, Tony Soprano any day.
It is a challenge to sustain empathy for those choosing to not get vaccinated. And I say that - having family members I care about who are choosing to not get vaccinated. It makes me question the very nature of Empathy. What is it? What is its purpose? (Obviously it has a purpose). I believe it is what pushes us to help others when we have the capacity to help. Concerned feeling are all very nice, but their actual helpfulness is limited. If my empathy pushes me to say, “Hey, I care about you. I’m concerned. Can we talk politely about vaccination? Its pros and cons?” But if that person is still not interested or loathe to look at actual statistics, at that point, the empathy gets rather pointless. Yes, I care, but it become the traffic accident that you are helpless to prevent. At a certain point I detach a little bit and what happens, happens. It is sad, but out of my control. There is a side of that simply starts to accept that some of these folks are going to get sick, maybe very sick. A little part of me that is more practical than empathetic feels a little satisfaction when I read of those who fall ill from their stupidity and I hope it spurs more to take vaccination seriously. Like part of me is willing to see a few losses in hopes of a greater good. And I am a little horrified when I see that in myself. It is indeed a tightrope to maintain empathy - to continue to care - when so much chosen ignorance is at play.
I know what you’re talking about re: being horrified when I see that very same reaction in myself. I’m hoping It may serve a greater good and convince more people. Today I was listening to a story about the exit from Afghanistan, and how the days of occupying nation building military initiatives may be over (I’ll believe it when I see it) but the days of fighting terrorism are not. Because terrorist acts will likely still kill some Americans here and some Americans there and therefore be of concern. And my internal reaction was: Will it? I mean, here we are with so many people being blasé about 600K Americans dying in a year, are those same people going to care about a few here and a few there? I can’t see how. Something has broken in our society.
I'm not sure what the answer is there. I'm not excusing their actions, but terrorism does not exist in a vacuum. For every child that grows up without a father or a brother, or a mother, or a sister... for every child who has seen grandparents or neighbors die in awful ways... collateral damage from what might be the best intentions for the greater good. Every single one is a seed for future horrific acts.
The grief of seeing one's homeland destroyed, one's people dispersed... that is implanted for the rest of their lives. How can it not skew one's perception of right and wrong? When I consider the self perpetuating cycle in Israel and Gaza- yes, it is reasonable to want to defend oneself if your neighbors are sending rockets. But a repressed population that is treated like second class citizens has every reason to be angry.
It seems like at times the population of the planet needs to go on antidepressants for a generation or two to subdue the perfectly reasonable outrage so that there is time for healing. That is what an inflammatory does with the body. I believe that most folks wish for peace and are inclined to get along with others on an individual level. How can one silence the voices that incite while still protecting free speech?
I keep returning to the power of the stories we tell. Whether those stories are from Hollywood, or the gossip we share over the fence, I do think that there is power in choosing stories that extoll kindness. Drama pays the media's bills but it does not make a better world. Kindness can harvest more kindness if it is planted systematically and with persistence. I'm tired of sarcastic anti heroes with lots of hubris and no moral compass. I want heros who have compassion. Sincerity is beautiful. The ugliness seems too hard to tackle and overwhelming but a tidal wave of consistently kind acts by ordinary people would make a difference on the planet. That is the only way terrorism can truly be defeated.
I’m so with you on the kind of stories I have stomach for. Give me heart. Give me people to root for who are trying to be better every day. Give me Ted Lasso over, say, Tony Soprano any day.