I read once how Americans are great at acute heroism but lousy with chronic empathy. A world of truth in a simple statement.
Those from the area the pandemic pandemonium began in America are weeks further into this strange new world than the rest of our country. Our psyche battered, our bruises still forming, but we are mostly bearing the weight of our fears and frustrations. The jokes, while now being told through clenched jaws, continue to find our humor mostly intact. Dark though it may be, the spark can still be seen.
Settling in for the long haul, however, reminds me that we are still in the acute phase and I worry about what will become of us when we get to the chronic part, the part we aren't so good at weathering. Will we learn to share even more of our physical and emotional resources as the demands grow? Can we continue to honor our elders, our disabled and our defenseless? How do we support one another as fears grow? As more of us lose our businesses? As our careers falter? As our loved ones' health is impacted? As our loved ones die? I hope we rise. I hope we remember that we are still capable of reflecting the light around us, no matter how tarnished we become. I hope we continue to honor creativity and kindness and simple joys. I hope we value people -- all types of people -- over profits or religious doctrine or hateful rhetoric. I hope our hearts beat stronger for the most vulnerable in our society. I hope you are all still here, alive and your spirits resilient enough, to see the sun rise after this black night. While acute heroism burns hot and bright, we need the gentler and longer burning chronic empathy to stay warm as we endure this darkness. - Remy Soberanes art and photos Amberphlame De B #40daysOfGratitude #hope #gratitude #faith #kindness #empathy #altruism D3
