World’s on Fire
A lot of bloggers have already dug into this. I haven’t been able to set it down. So here’s what we are doing with it at ThPM. I sent it out to the gang today.
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Compassion Fatigue. We’ve had a couple of conversations in ThPM about this. You know, that thing that happens where you just cannot face another humanitarian disaster on the evening news. Sudan. Iran. Hurricanes in Florida. AIDS in Africa. The homeless men sleeping in the park where your daughter had drama camp this summer. The kid you know who’s family lost their worn-out government-subsidized apartment to fire.
Compassion Fatigue. Em and I have chatted in the kitchen about how sometimes we just do not feel like being a generous person. People have mentioned how guilted-out and overwhelmed they feel when they get info about international crisises. Rebecca has talked about how she feels like sometimes our power is so limited that all we have is a teaspoon with which to move a mountain.
Compassion Fatigue.There’s got to be a better solution to this problem than just getting a fhit of do-gooderness energy from watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. To do nothing simply cannot be the option. What to do? What to do? ….
What’s prompting all this fervor? I saw this and my world got rocked. (or if you don’t have i-tunes try this. Thanks Mike for the tip on that one.)
Compassion Fatigue. Pain keeps us locked in one place. Fear keeps us locked in one place. We have to find a way (or ways) to actually step into the pain and experience compassion. I don’t know how to do it. I’m sure if we try it will be all bumble-and-stumble-and-start over. But let’s try. My suggestion? Use this video as lectio divina this week. Let it sink in. Then let’s figure out how to move foward.
I’m looking forward to working on this together. See you at ThPM.
-Rachelle
ps. lyrics are here if you want them.
Very cool, Rachelle. I love the idea of using the video in lectio! I hear what you’re saying about compassion fatigue. Personally I want to develop compassion and generosity as a way of life (internal), not as a reaction to something (external).
Thanks for those thoughts.
Compassion Fatigue - yes, you’ve just crafted into words a feeling I haven’t been able to put my finger on. The problem is so huge, and I’m so small. But “if I can help somebody” (as that old song says), perhaps I can just do that, one somebody at a time.
Kelly,
I do have Sleeping with Bread and I like it. Some of it is too over-the-top for me, but I’m glad I got it. Ryan Beattie over at Along the Way recommended it to me. I loaned it out to my walking partner, Heather. We do the examen when we meet for our 6am walks. (Which are getting fewer as it is getting darker.)
Much love to you, the fam, and the community under your wings.
Love,
R