I woke up this morning to discover the city's fever had broken, and that our eleven-day-long run of eleventy billion degree days was at an end.
When the act of getting out of bed did not cause me to break into a sweat, I knew the world was off to a better start.
However, minutes later when I turned on the television - I live a life of action - I discovered that bushfires were raging across the adjacent state of Victoria, burning entire towns from the map. Through the course of the day, fires would kill over 120 people.
My relief was replaced with devastation in the face of such immense tragedy. The flames have been fed by the intense heat and dry conditions that have been chaining me to the sweat-drenched floor through the week. I had awoken to find what I had perceived as a nightmare to be over. Others had awoken to find the real nightmare waiting for them, waiting to claim all of their possessions and even members of their family. The only difference between these people and I is that their homes were - up until recently - surrounded by lush bushland, while mine sits in the outback desert.
It begs the question, how much empathy is enough? Too much? Just right?
A horrible thing has happened, and all day every time I expressed relief at the weather's change, I felt a pang of guilt. Even expressing that seems too trivial to mention.
I think everyone in Australia has turned their thoughts towards the affected today. Should we do more? Can we?
It's natural to feel guilty about having a good time while others suffer, but does disallowing one's self to feel good help others? Or does it just make us feel better?
Other questions worth pondering:
Why is distance a factor? We are bombarded by horrible things happening every day, but only when it is close to home do we come together to grieve and empathise. Do we prefer to feel bad for people like us? Is it easier to identify with those who are similar? Is it just that the line must be drawn somewhere?
Where should we draw the line? If we stopped for each pile-up along the road of life, we would never get anywhere. But who to stop for?
2 comments:
Don't feel guilty, feel grateful. To be alive, to be safe, and yes, for the cool change.
The same way we all enjoy eating our hamburgers while children are starving to death half a world away.
So feel sad if you like, but enjoy the milder weather. Sweating out of your ass never helped anybody.
Nicely said.
Extra points for such an eloquent statement with ass sweat.
Post a Comment