This time, let's HOLD ON to the realization that most of what we complain about is ridiculously trivial. (We *get* to complain anyway, but the perspective matters.)
That no matter how much turmoil we've experienced within the US recently (I'm including the resurgence of violent overt racism here), we must not blind ourselves to the suffering of others.
Let's not break out scales and try to *weigh* that suffering for comparison and contrast, if we can avoid it.
When your empathy and attention start to wane, don't let them fade entirely. We cannot maintain constant vigilance and active soul-deep empathy for every sorrow of the world. Don't let anyone try to tell you you should; your soul needs care and your life deserves to be lived without the constant pain that would engender.
But when it fades, don't let it fade entirely. Fold some slice of today's awareness, of your outpouring of support, of your demand for more information and for short- and long-term solutions, into your memory. Slip them in a place where you can access them from time to time, and when you do - reiterate your outpouring of support and demand for solutions.
Don't wait for 11/13/2016 to say "Je me souviens et mon coeur est toujours avec Paris."
That no matter how much turmoil we've experienced within the US recently (I'm including the resurgence of violent overt racism here), we must not blind ourselves to the suffering of others.
Let's not break out scales and try to *weigh* that suffering for comparison and contrast, if we can avoid it.
When your empathy and attention start to wane, don't let them fade entirely. We cannot maintain constant vigilance and active soul-deep empathy for every sorrow of the world. Don't let anyone try to tell you you should; your soul needs care and your life deserves to be lived without the constant pain that would engender.
But when it fades, don't let it fade entirely. Fold some slice of today's awareness, of your outpouring of support, of your demand for more information and for short- and long-term solutions, into your memory. Slip them in a place where you can access them from time to time, and when you do - reiterate your outpouring of support and demand for solutions.
Don't wait for 11/13/2016 to say "Je me souviens et mon coeur est toujours avec Paris."
Atop the Eiffel Tower, 2001
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