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Can't take the news
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Anonymous
You idiot. We're not bitching about our insomnia; we're expressing shock and horror about world events. |
Anonymous
| Seems there are lots of idiots posting on this thread! |
Anonymous
I've lived in Africa without running water and electricity - bare bones level. Not having running water and electricity does not make a miserable life. Many children though dirty & snotty nosed (just like kids here) seem to have more security with immediate and extended family living close to each other. When one is out of a job, they go live with family for lodging and food. This is NOT seen as an inconvenience. We have running water and electricity here. It makes life more convenient, but does not necessarily bring more happiness. People in the "modern" world are more stressed out. One town I lived in briefly got electricity. After that, people stopped talking to each other and just watched a lot of tv. We only get the worst images of misery from the world outside of the US: poverty, aftermath of bombings, large- scale natural disasters. It really is not ALL that bad ALL the time. |
Anonymous
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http://uscampaignforburma.org/
Here is a simple thing people can do. Go to the website of the US Campaign for Burma (US citizens and Burmese exiles working together to fight repression in Burma) and learn more. You can donate to the relief effort or donate to the Campaign itself. I donated to the Campaign because I think it will help the country more in the long-run but you can decide for yourself. I feel overwhelmed by these events too but through the US Campaign I help a little from time to time. It keeps me from giving into despair. |
Anonymous
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Here are coping suggestions. Put things into HISTORICAL context. Tragic things happen. Sometimes by nature, sometimes by really bad people. It's part of the human experience. Now is no better or worse than any time before. It's just that we hear about it more frequently and more quickly than historically.
* Remind yourself that tragedies involving larger numbers of people than whatever event you're seeing at the time have happened and will happen. * Accept the fact that bad things happen to good people . Whether it's one person or millions of people. If you feel really helpless, read the book of same title. * Acknowledge your own sensitivity level and avoid exposure to triggers. Don't make yourself into a self-oriented drama queen. Turn off your computer for a few days. * Empathize, don't patronize. The last thing victims need is pity. Respect them as you would want to be respected if it happened to you. It's not your tragedy, it's theirs. * Act in a way that is meaningful or symbolic to you. This is how to control tendencies to personalize other people's suffering into your own anxiety. Even if it's just a personal thought/meditation/prayer, whatever. Taking action large or small is respectful to others and empowering to you. * Set an example. Your kids are watching and listening more than you think. [Hello internet.] Help them to understand how they can deal with these types of issues as well as their feelings. If they think you can't handle these topics, they won't talk to you about it. So how does this all work [now that I'm sounding so preachy]? The example I use when shocked or sad about a world crisis is slavery in America. Nobody really knows how many families suffered and died in the Middle Passage and after. The numbers aren't the point. It's the perserverance of survivors and the efforts of them and their allies to overcome that matters. I will not shy away from the topic with my children simply because it's too horrible to imagine. These comments are meant to be constructive, honest. But as to PP who won't go to the 3rd world, please do. You might be surprised that many people there actually feel sorry for us and wouldn't move to Bethesda for all the money in the world. I've lived in villages where the concept of not living in walking distance from your extended family is considered tragic and a horrible, lonely way to live. And don't get me started on 9/11 or mass school shootings. Yes, satellite TV shows our tragedies as well. And for those who want to run to Europe for vacation, you might want to avoid Austria. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read the news. |
Anonymous
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I'm the OP. The point of my thread was perhaps unclear. I meant to express my sadness and frustration, for being so helpless. Other than work for an aid agency (which I do), and send money to operational NGOs (which I do), how do I alleviate the suffering of these people? I need to make some small difference.
I was unemployed when Katrina hit, and so I was able to go to Louisiana for a few weeks, and help distribute donations. Being involved made it much easier. I don't have that option with the current tragedies. And yes, you could criticize me for making it "all about me", but well, that would be pretty cheap. I just want to hug those women, feed those children... |
Anonymous
Can you work for the relief outreach for the China earthquake victims at your organization? |
Anonymous
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....But as to PP who won't go to the 3rd world, please do. You might be surprised that many people there actually feel sorry for us and wouldn't move to Bethesda for all the money in the world. I've lived in villages where the concept of not living in walking distance from your extended family is considered tragic and a horrible, lonely way to live. And don't get me started on 9/11 or mass school shootings. Yes, satellite TV shows our tragedies as well.
And for those who want to run to Europe for vacation, you might want to avoid Austria. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read the news. are your f%&*( serious? |
Anonymous
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obviously-they are serious!
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Anonymous
It seems clear that your intentions are good. And of course, you're not helpless. There are many ways to hug women and feed children right here in the DC area. You don't need a passport to see suffering or try to address it. If you want to help women and children over time and with continuous disasters like warzones, check out www.womenforwomen.org Not to sound too judgemental, but it seems curious that someone who works in an aid organization would even consider going somewhere as an untrained individual purely for emotional reasons or to help themselves feel "involved". Perhaps your issue is related to generalized anxiety disorder or depression rather than just the news. Which, yes, would make it all about you. But that doesn't mean you don't need or are not entitled to help. Nobody has the monopoly on suffering. |
TwinsinAdMorg
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| There's a good reason to read the paper today if you find media coverage of tragedies overwhelming. Front page of the Post article on women's roles in Rwanda post-genocide. Yes, there is a first-hand account of the horror from a mother. But you don't need to read that paragraph (toward the end) to appreciate the larger, more universal topic of women's roles as survivors. Something that is not frequently reported on but is a crucial part in understanding human events, IMHO. Maybe more people reading and commenting on these types of articles, as opposed to gory/voyerustic ones, will help encourage the media to create more of these stories. I know, naive thought. But it seemed appropriate/balanced to me to place an article about survival of past tragedies next to reports of current ones. |
Anonymous
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after 9/11 I literally went into media shock and was traumatized for weeks, I was overseas then and my then bf (now husband) was in DC. I just couldn't get ovcer it, it was so horrible. Ever since then I do not watch news on TV, I read the paper. And I still register tragic events, just in a healthier way.
I honestly don't get the part about traveling only to 3rd world countries to watch the misery in person. Is that going to help anyone? If you go and actually help, that's different. OP, i definitely understand how you feel. |