| As you've gotten older, are you more sensitive regarding suffering in the world?
Posted: 9/13/2009 10:37:50 AM | I don't think the world has become more cruel - we're just more aware of it.
^^ Exactly. In fact, if anything , following the era of largely successful liberal democratic revolutions in the West (American, western Europe, etc), and with the advent of better medical knowledge and so forth, the world has probably overall become a far better place. People before, as recently as , say, 2 or 300 yrs ago, generally lived short and rough lives (short by today's standards at least). Misery and oppression, brutal conquests of land and resources and so forth, enslavement of others (regardless of race or ethnicity) had always generally been the 'rule of thumb'.
Witnessing peaceful transitions of power, for example, as we routinely see in North (and parts of South) America today, and in western Europe and some of Asia, is still something to marvel at actually, IMO. Because up until only relatively recently, strong and/or simply well-positioned men took power (and kept it indefinitely) by sheer force and brutality, and the masses lived in general hardship. That is our , IMO, standard fall-back 'nature', so to speak. Doing otherwise (though it sometimes feels like a bit of a challenge for us) , shows we have to an extent 'matured' a bit collectively (at least in parts of the world; in other parts , due to myriad factors, we are still trying to undergo that long & painful process).
As for stories of local atrocities that make news and so forth, part of the reason IMO they seem worse at times, is simply because of the speed and reach of modern mainstream media and enhanced technology. There was a time we wouldn't have even heard of local atrocity stories in other states, much less in other parts of the world. To an extent, it has to be remembered that such stories still are rare enough to be newsworthy in the first place. | |
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| As you've gotten older, are you more sensitive regarding suffering in the world?
Posted: 9/13/2009 2:39:17 PM |
As for stories of local atrocities that make news and so forth, part of the reason IMO they seem worse at times, is simply because of the speed and reach of modern mainstream media and enhanced technology.
Perhaps this is partly true, and I've heard that, per capita, murders are less frequent than they used to be, but because of our population increase there are more overall murders. So, it depends what your metric is. | |
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| As you've gotten older, are you more sensitive regarding suffering in the world?
Posted: 9/13/2009 9:26:48 PM | | I am wondering how long you have been out of your field. Maybe you are having a flood of reality now that your coping mechanisms are not on alert status. Maybe you do feel that your sense of purpose is missing. I, too, am one who has dealt in emergency situations for years. Seeing some of the best and worst that people can be I think to a certain degree that we build those defense mechanisms to cope. Can you remember how in the beginning it all seemed surreal? Yet I find that the longer I am in in this field the more I empathize. It is all too real now. Now I am curious how overwhelming it may be when I do leave my field. I have always kept a good perspective on it though. I have told many that I have mentored that you have to re-evaluate every now and then just to keep your head on straight. I refer to them as 'reality checks'. lol. By the way, I have had a hard time watching the news for years. I get my fair share of trauma and reality at work. | |
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| As you've gotten older, are you more sensitive regarding suffering in the world?
Posted: 9/15/2009 6:43:29 AM | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ~embrya, I've been out of the medical field since 2000. I've always been empathetic, but able to deal with man's inhumanity to man. I never understood it, but I was able to deal with it. Perhaps, it's due to no longer being able to help 'in some small way' that causes me to feel the pain of others so strongly. I don't know. Instead of becoming somewhat inured to the suffering of others, I seem to have become overly sensitized to it as time goes on.
Thanks to all who have shared their feelings. It's been very thought provoking. | |
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| As you've gotten older, are you more sensitive regarding suffering in the world?
Posted: 9/20/2009 12:30:55 AM | life! hmm? it's something to see.
I went into the service at 20, I guess the first think that grab me was how, "not educated" so many were. Last name first, first name last and middle initial was just to confusing for many. But in the end, I learned to love them as brothers.
It's hard if not impossible to be sensitive about things you know nothing of. So much is purely academic. Viet Nam has two season wet and dry. ~ well okay?
You ever been rained on for 6 months?
Feet! you ever looked at other people feet?
I don't think you'd ever know a pretty foot until you seen and ugly one.
Bad, good ~ we learn such things as we go.
Appreciation is something that's acquired and developed.
But to this day ~ for me , Rap is still Crap
Sensitive? , walk a mile in someone else shoes.
Dance | |
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| As you've gotten older, are you more sensitive regarding suffering in the world?
Posted: 9/20/2009 12:39:32 AM |
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ~embrya, I've been out of the medical field since 2000. I've always been empathetic, but able to deal with man's inhumanity to man. I never understood it, but I was able to deal with it. Perhaps, it's due to no longer being able to help 'in some small way' that causes me to feel the pain of others so strongly. I don't know. Instead of becoming somewhat inured to the suffering of others, I seem to have become overly sensitized to it as time goes on. IMO it only says good things about you Forumfilly if you have become more sensitive to the suffering of others though you are or have been in the medical field. It is also not a bad thing that many or most people in fields that help the suffering must in some whay shut off those feelings in order to continue with their work. I can understand both perspectives and both are valid.
For me, I don't think I am more sensitive to the suffering of the world. I know more about it than I did when I was younger. When younger I was more self involved and more involved in my own little world, but now, I seem to take a broader view of the world. But my emotions have always been affected by suffering, whether it is close to home or thousands of miles away, whether it is happening to a single person or to a multitude. | |
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| As you've gotten older, are you more sensitive regarding suffering in the world?
Posted: 11/21/2009 6:28:33 PM | As I have gotten older I have also gotten wiser and learned that the root cause of most problems is apathy by my fellow man.
In other words if they did not vote the socialist idiots into government that we now have things would be much better all around. What we need is less government and bleeding hearts and things would be much better. They always do the opposite of that they claim they want to do. IMHO | |
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