For those who think Democracy should be
a collaborative experience.
June 8, 2008
dare to care
I read an article this week about bystanders who ignored an elderly hit-and-run victim. I was ready to move on to another article when I realized – the bystanders weren’t the only ones who were chillingly unresponsive. I had read this article without responding emotionally. I had felt no sadness for a world where people show so little caring.
On closer inspection, I realized the article had triggered emotions, but I automatically shut them down so quickly that I hadn’t noticed they were there.
Why would I shut myself off from what I feel? Why are we afraid to care? Could it be that caring would be overwhelming? I think of a friend who watched an NPR documentary about plastic in the ocean and felt an urgent need to solve the problem. She was painfully aware that she was just one person, and what can one person do about plastic pollution twice the size of Texas? And even if she could solve the problem, there are so many more problems to solve.
I’ve been paralyzed into inaction. I once stood helpless with a circle of people around a man who apparently had a heart attack. The irony was, I was on break from a CPR training class. I was sick at heart for weeks – but it was a wake-up call for me to get the courage to act.
There are no guarantees that we can solve our problems – but if we stay paralyzed, it’s certain we won’t. If the people who exploit are the only ones motivated to play, failure is guaranteed. You are responsible for your actions – not the results. Dare to care – and do what you can. That’s all anyone can ask of you.
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