"When I see this humanity and the evil that they have come to be,
We've come to the point of no return and you beg for just...
One more time to escape from all this madness
One more time to be set free from all this sadness
And one last time to be the one who understands..."
- My Spirit Will Go On (form their album Sonic Firestorm)
In an attempt to feel more connected to the world around me, I have adopted the habit of reading the news almost every night (from several different news sources; I usually go to NPR, Yahoo, and NBCnews) and find myself feeling these words. To be honest, when I talk to a lot of my friends about the news the typical response is, "I don't want to read it, it's depressing." Well, that used to be me as well. While there are some heart warming stories,
NY bus driver catches girl with autism, 7, in three-story plunge
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/17/12786112-ny-bus-driver-catches-girl-7-in-three-story-plunge?lite
more often than not there are stories that make your heart heavy and wonder how anyone could ever do such a thing.
Friends reel from shooting of teen lesbian couple in Texas
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/06/26/12419818-friends-reel-from-shooting-of-teen-lesbian-couple-in-texas?lite
The simple truth is that this is the word in which we live, and there's no use hiding from it because it exists all around us. To ignore this is to turn your back on the people going through it.
The best antidote to this poisonous reality is merely to accept it, without judgment or blame, and attempt to take the good with the bad. Whenever I read international news, I feel humbled and blessed (because it is purely due to luck) that I was born in the US, a leading world power. It's true that we have issues to face here, such as the abuse and neglect of children, those individuals and families living under the poverty line, the ongoing issue of equal rights for the LGBTQ community, and the national economic recession among others. But aside from the individuals and families living in poverty, these problems do not affect our chances for survival. In fact, the FBI released their preliminary annual uniform crime report (http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/preliminary-annual-ucr-jan-dec-2011) and found that the number of violent crimes brought to their attention in 2011 had dropped 4% compared to 2010.
Compare this to Syria, where civil war has erupted and thousands of refugees have already fled the city of Aleppo,
Opposition: Saturday is deadliest day in Syrian civil war
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/25/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html
and tell me you don't feel grateful that you don't have to worry about bombs raining down on your head, or soldiers bursting into your home and threatening your family.
Yet, at the very same time, I know without a shadow of a doubt that the people in Aleppo who fear for their lives experience just as much pain as the father who doesn't know if he can put food on the table for his family, or the woman who doesn't know if she'll be able to visit her partner's sick bed to say goodbye, or the child who is afraid to go home after school. It's a different kind of pain, and should never be compared.
So instead of being depressed by the news, try to think of it in a different way; look at the news as a way to connect with the rest of the world; with the rest of your country; for a chance to feel compassion for other people's pain,
AIDS epidemic in sub-saharan Africa
for a chance to rejoice in their triumphs,
NY legalizes same-sex marriage
and to walk a day in their shoes.
With this in mind, I come to the point of this article...even though I'm one of those people who's googling how to get involved to help the refugees in Syria, that doesn't mean everyone has to take the same route. In fact, the best thing anyone can do for others is be kind.
Even though it seems like such a basic principle, it's surprising how little it actually gets put into practice. When's the last time you can think of that you felt your spirit lift because you took a second out of your day to smile into the eyes of a stranger? When's the last time you felt your own worries melt away because you stopped to see if that person with a broken down car on the side of the road needed help? When's the last time you grinned from ear to ear because you held open a door for a woman juggling two kids on either hip and bags full of groceries? Put yourself out there! Don't be afraid to form a genuine human connection, even if it's only for a split second, because I guarantee that split second will affect the remaining hours of your day.
So in essence, we have no idea what other people are going through in their own lives, so just be kind to everyone you meet; every little bit counts.
No comments:
Post a Comment