Human history is a tale of tragedy experienced by every civilization past and present. Conflict, often violent, preceded the world we now inhabit and it defines the lives of millions every day. Most of us enjoy isolation from the terror of human violence and quickly avert our gaze if we are forced to confront it. But then it strikes close to home, someone we know, a family member, an attack on our culture. We cannot look away, we cannot ignore, we cannot abide.
Suddenly we are pulled into conflict, first with the world that terrorizes our loved ones and community with violence and death, then with ourselves at the realization of the tragedy that was just out of sight and now confronts our every waking moment. Awareness leads to action as we engage with our community to defend ourselves, our culture, human lives. We donate money and time, we wage ideological battle with those who challenge us, we pour our hearts into spreading awareness to anyone who will listen.
But soon, we run out of actions to take, of money to donate, of people to tell. And yet the terror persists, the killing continues, and we feel helpless to stop it. The last thing we have to give is our attention, we cannot fathom looking away, for being selfish and trying to return to any type of normalcy. We linger, eyes peeled, staring into the abyss, playing a game of chicken with oblivion. Soon the terror will claim another victim, it will be us, our soul, our spirit and those who perpetrate such violence will rejoice at their victory.
More victims will follow as those who love us and depend on us witness the tragedy unfold as you are consumed by terror, anger, and suffering. How do we break the cycle, how do we equip ourselves to fight against violence when it never ends? If despair, anguish, and suffering originate within us, then the solution must likewise come from within. No person can tell you to stop suffering, no distraction will offer comfort, no cure will neutralize the awareness you now possess.
Looking Within
The Sun was a mystery to humanity for most of history, attributed as a god by many civilizations. And yet staring into the Sun would never yield an answer to its mystery, it would only leave the viewer blind and no closer to understanding. Continuously consuming the terror of the world is much the same, aiming your soul, your empathy directly into the suffering, the despair, the turmoil with the result being your own suffering added and no solution produced.
If you are captured by the tragedy, enduring constant trauma, then you are standing in the fire. Your first imperative becomes saving yourself, you must escape the fire lest you be consumed! As plane emergency procedure demands, you must first put on your own oxygen mask. Our highest priority is to ensure we are not another victim and that we have the capacity to help others.
I would implore you to look away for just a moment and reflect with some of these questions. I know not all of them will be relevant, but hopefully some of them lead to more questions, to realizations of what our purpose is as we engage in the conflict and how we can ensure our suffering is not in vain.
- Is this, your own suffering, the outcome you are attempting to produce?
- What is the your intended outcome from your engagement in the conflict?
- Possible examples: Spreading awareness, motivating action, encouraging donations
- How can you more directly achieve it?
- Does your own personal suffering contribute to the intended outcome?
- What is your boundary for taking on the suffering of your cause?
- Protecting ourselves from traumatic damaging experiences is not selfish, failing to do so and continuing obsessively view harmful information and imagery becomes emotional self-harm
- How do you contain your suffering so that you may continue to champion your values?
- Would you and your cause benefit from studying material beyond the unending succession of tragedy?
- History, human behavior, state diplomatic policy, moral philosophy may be topics that could be helpful domains to pursue that may contribute to the cause and allow you to make progress without continuing to consume more suffering.
- Will engaging with a person directly likely result in persuading them to your perspective?
- In the absence of persuasion of an individual, what is the net result of the interaction?
- How do you feel after the interaction?
- Have your causes or values been furthered?
- What other values are important to you and have you lost sight of them in the face of this suffering?
- Values of human life, reducing suffering, personal health are not just meant for others, we embody them within ourselves and championing them first starts with becoming an ambassador with our example.
- Has fatigue, anger, and anguish driven you towards reacting in ways that you wouldn’t normally?
- The terror can twist us into shapes we do not recognize, can lead us to behave in ways we would not have considered before, can control us
- How can you best leverage your unique skills and abilities to bring value to the cause?
- We are not all warriors and cannot do literal battle, so what do you bring forth, is it art or perhaps a platform?
I do believe empathizing with the suffering of others is necessary and productive to the extent that it motivates us to act. Beyond a certain point however, we are simply adding to the aggregate suffering of humanity and those we empathize for. Once we have committed to acting and have taken measures to stand up for our values and cause, our own personal suffering does not serve further good. It is simply pain for the sake of pain, our gaze upon the anguish will not itself cure the suffering of those we witness.
Focus on the agency you possess, on what you can do and restrain your engagement to that end. We can spread awareness, educate, donate, volunteer, learn, support others, and so on. But once we have acted, what can we do?
We must sleep, we must eat, we must exercise, we must endure, we must step outside of the fire. For the fight is not won today. Humanity’s conflicts persist and so must we. Our cause resumes tomorrow and we must arrive ready to champion it. Do not let violence and terror consume another soul, do not become a victim, it is not selfish to become a competent champion of your cause.
