NUMBNESS BEFORE INCREMENTAL HORROR
The dangers of looking the other way...
Image by John Snape, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The flood of news concerning acts of violence, corruption, war, injustice, tends to numb us over time. This is the body’s mechanism to help us to be alert to new threats.
Yet if we become accustomed to tuning out, we will accept the evil acts of politicians and dictators as just the way things are. In fact, we may ingrain that foul behavior into our personality and begin to act in similar fashion towards our fellow human beings.
This article in The New York Times helps us to effectively address that numbing effect.
Can we afford to tune out an attempted coupe to extend a president’s time in office? Was the invasion of the U S Capitol on January 6, 2021, normal? Should we ignore the vitriol, lies and misinformation from a leading presidential candidate and his supporters?
Similarly, can we look the other way while a nation continues to wreak havoc on another?
By failing to face the hideousness of those acts we risk the magnification and repetition of evil actions.
Should we welcome the risk of adopting the inhumane behavior of those shameful actors that we abhor?
The cited article discusses the slow escalation of deadly conflicts and how threats can begin small and increase to lethal proportions.
It is crucial as the November election approaches to avoid the return of bad actors and their supporters. We must correct the misinformed and awaken the dormant.
Do we have the capacity to see what is going on and refuse to accept evil actions as normal? Can we afford to watch others suffer and remain numb? Can we afford to ignore our values and beliefs out of expediency or delusion?
What do you think?
I just returned last week from volunteering in Ukraine, providing trauma care and support to civilians in some of the recently deoccupied areas. It was a powerful and humbling experience. There were a few moments, with the first couple of people I met with, where my mind froze momentarily with the enormity of the horror the person was describing. Then I found words and our hearts opened, and we connected. None of what I could do changes the terrible brutality these people have experienced, and I cannot stop the loss, uncertainty, and horror of what may happen next. I can care. I do care, and I will not close my heart or shut my eyes. Instead, I have already begun fundraising so I can return in June.
I also refuse to shut my eyes to what is happening in the US.
Great, thought provoking article. My recommendation is take time to think about the candidates and where they will lead the country versus just voting with a party you "always vote for" as the parties have all changed since I was first able to vote.