My Case for Humanity

       Those around me know I have been really struggling as of late trying to make sense of what is the most devastating humanitarian crisis we have witnessed in our lifetimes. The suffering of the refugee population that is only growing exponentially day by day is overwhelming in its scope. I think what has been the hardest for me to understand is what seems to be a general apathy in regards to human suffering… especially suffering of this magnitude. I am sure everyone is experiencing crisis fatigue, as we are bombarded with such vast amounts of sadness and pain on a daily basis through social media and other information outlets we have all gone into preservation mode in order to not completely breakdown (which I am obviously navigating right now). Last night I read a particularly devastating article about the  refugee crisis in Lesbos and  was compelled to read the comments below. The vitriol and lack of compassion was astounding and profoundly disturbing. It was so disturbing that I found myself writing a response to a comment that interestingly enough was one of the most benign negative comments on the page. Most of the comments railing against the refugees were just so hate filled, I couldn’t even try to respond as I knew my response would fall on deaf ears. Instead I chose to respond to an older gentleman named Richard who lives in mIddle America and simply asked: “Why should I be responsible for anything that occurs because of a war in Syria?” This was not an evil, unkind question. It was a real, simple, question coming from someone whom Im sure must be a good human being who’s doing his best to live a good life. Just a man wanting to be a good father and or husband and or neighbor. A person who has love and kindness in his heart, but is overwhelmed by complexities and the pain of the world we live in today.  This is my response to him and others who  commented. What I ask is simple. I ask that we use what was given to us at birth and that truly is coded into us. This is my case for empathy. This is my case for humanity.

“To those of you who exhibit compassion and love for your fellow human beings- thank you. We must continue to live our lives with compassion and clarity to create any meaningful change in this world and to combat the vitriol and hate born from people who live in fear and ignorance. I have made the choice to live my life in service to my community and the world at large. That is a very personal choice that no one has to make in order to be a compassionate, caring, person on this planet. You can live your life from a place of empathy and have a profound impact on those around you that will have a ripple effect that has a global impact.
What I have been blessed to learn when working with all walks of life, socio economic demographics, religions, sexual preferences etc….is that we all have a very common need at our core- the need for love and acceptance. We all have or had parents and crave their acceptance and love. We all want to be happy. We want our children to be safe. We all want to know we are part of something larger than ourselves. How can someone be faulted for wanting any of these things? Hate and intolerance is certainly born from fear of the unknown…”Will there be enough for my family? Will I lose my job? Will things change? ” Ironically the emotions that seem to be based in self preservation are actually having the opposite effect. It is derisiveness that drives wedges into humanity that makes it impossible to have a dialogue and make actionable changes in our political systems, climate regulation and humanitarian outreach. Empathy is something that comes hardwired into us at birth. It exists for a reason.  All of the skills we have at birth are mechanisms for survival- the things we learn later such as hate and intolerance are taught to us. They are NOT mechanisms for survival…how can we continue as a species on this planet when we can not even agree on the fact that we are human beings and therefore all of us entitled to certain rights as such? If you are feeling that I am being over the top about empathy being a key to human survival, don’t take my word for it, take the hundreds of reputable academic studies that state as much http://www.wired.co.uk/…/the-empathy-revolution-anita….
I implore you for the fate of all of our children and dare I say eventually mankind, to rise above your fear and make the compassionate choice. I leave you with this quote from Nobel Peace prize winner Jimmy Carter and a quote from his Holiness the Dalai Lama :
“War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.
The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices. God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes – and we must.” -Jimmy Carter
“Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.” – His Holiness the Dalai Lama.