Trigger Warning: Some descriptions of events may cause emotional turmoil. Reader discretion is advised.
In times of global tragedy, it can be difficult for people who are not directly impacted to focus on day-to-day tasks. It is a privilege to not be consumed by this tragedy and to instead worry about academic deadlines, career obligations, and familial responsibilities. You may feel that your worries seem trivial in comparison. We are in an age where international devastations are documented for us to see live via social media and numerous commentary outlets. This is the first time in history where we are witnessing such emotionally-charged discourse about genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and occupation through screens that we carry every day.
We are listening to reports of children buried under rubble caused by war crimes and terrorism. We are reading about hospitals being bombed, the complete collapse of healthcare systems, and the invention of the medical code “Wounded Child No Surviving Family (WCNSF).” We are following details regarding numbers – 1.1 million people being lured into a false sense of security and 5,000 pregnant women expected to deliver within the next month having no sterile environment. We are being informed that a nation’s water supply has been completely cut off, their Internet disconnected, their right to private communication suspended. We may feel overwhelming despair seeing videos of ice cream trucks filled with corpses wrapped in white body bags and videos of heartbroken mothers listening to loudspeakers that announce the names of their children being amongst those found dead. We may feel appalled learning that the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is nonexistent, as individuals in these tragedies have trauma that is constant and relentless. We can only imagine the dust these civilians are inhaling, the barrage of explosions they are hearing, and the pungent scent of slaughtered flesh they are enduring.
It is incredibly disappointing scrolling through social media feeds and noticing patterns in history, especially the belief that people who are revolting against injustice are “savages” and “human animals” that need to be fought.
Though—there is something to be said about what global news your curated social media algorithm provides you. It shares many implications about the environment you are exposed to and who you are influenced by (as well as who you influence). It is important to recognize that, unless we specifically seek it out, we are not provided with opportunities to engage in international politics beyond what is fed to us by biased mass media.
If you are realizing that all systems of oppression reinforce one another, if you are realizing that these systems cannot be fought in isolation, that peace without justice is tyranny—then you are recognizing something that perpetrators of tragedy do not. You are experiencing humanity shared with countless others, including those who are directly impacted, who are losing their lives. You are actively listening and believing the voices of individuals who refuse to let their grief be weaponized or undermined.
If you are inquiring about how much more blood needs to paint the streets and how many more children need to be given angel wings, then you are showing emotions that the perpetrators of these inhumane actions lack. You are expressing that it should not have to happen to you for it to matter to you.
If you feel guilty that you live in an area where people in positions of power have blood all over their hands, if you feel contempt for your country’s brutal historical record—then you possess a heart that is encompassed by empathy.
Your guilt, your contempt, your anger, your pain, your disappointment—they are all signs of a working heart.
Thank God you feel guilty. Thank God you are still sensitized. Thank God your heart still has the capability to transform and soften. A world in which the hearts are hallow, apathetic, and brazen is a world overtaken by atrocities. Allow your working heart to prevent you from being amongst the perpetrators of cruelty.
Guilt and sensitivity show your emotional intelligence. Do not get used to the rising death count. Each life lost is as precious as the one before it. Stay sensitized. In such extremes of structural violence, those amid the targeted attacks are the ones sharing these videos, images, and reports, all while being in their most vulnerable state. Honor this—continue to be their voice and continue to express that these inhumanities are not justifiable.
This is not to say your empathy should be applauded—this is not meant to praise those who are feeling these humane emotions. This writing is meant to comfort. There is no such thing as “overthinking” or “over-feeling” during a time like this.
Lastly, it is important to acknowledge the spectrum in which people are impacted by this global tragedy. Some may have very personal ties to it—perhaps they have family members or loved ones that they have lost. Others may have a community connection and affiliation that is causing them pain. Some may have witnessed these tragedies before, or some may have learned about tragedies that were very similar. For myself, I am reminded of my ancestors and the near genocide that we escaped.
The images we’ve seen just behind a phone screen will never be erased from our minds. We can’t imagine the trauma of living through it. We have the privilege to turn off our devices and disconnect to a certain extent. It is important to acknowledge and accept this—but be wary to not feel comfortable in your ignorance. Take breaks and get rest as needed, prioritize your personal obligations as needed, continue to feel guilty that you can do these things—honor your humanity.