Everyone wants empathy, they want to feel someone has compassion when suffering. It is hard when you feel your suffering is ignored. This can be hard for many different groups; kids suffering gang violence in Chicago, others suffering from malnutrition, homelessness, and pain survivors just to give some examples. When your suffering is ignored you may question your self-worth. I had an incident yesterday that really tested my resiliency when I felt my suffering was not seen or was ignored. My pain flared as the hurt flared. Then I gave myself that ever important resilience check to try to look deeper. First, remember that my self-worth is not on the line. Second, remember everyone is fighting their own battles. We all may close our eyes just a little bit to the suffering of others as a form of armor to make it easier to handle our own lives. And that's OK! It helps us find joy. I would rather another person find joy than my suffering be seen.
That same night my son sent me this quote
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Christopher Reeve
Compassion may be right around the corner.
For my family who is always there, always compassionate