I don’t watch the news very often. I feel bad about that. I worry it’s irresponsible, running away from the world, detaching or not caring enough. I think lots of people would say I need to be more engaged. But in fact the reason I can’t watch is precisely the opposite of not caring enough. When I watch all I see is danger, anger, loss, violence, threats, pain, instability…. all I feel is dread, fear, sadness, grief, shaken, panic, disintegrating… and I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t know how to carry the feelings, or what the proper response is. What do we do with this hurt we can’t heal and trauma we can’t stop?
I don’t know if the world is on the whole becoming a more dangerous place. On the one hand I can’t say there’s no hope. Our God has assured us of His love for us and that no war, disaster or loss can separate us from Him. There is always something in this world to give hope. I think there’s always somewhere in each crisis where you can find some tiny piece of good. On the radio a while back I heard someone say when we are afraid of the bad things we see happening, look for the people who are trying to help and do good because they are always there somewhere.
On the other hand, there does seem to be more and more danger, terrorism, violence and unrest. What was once distant and occasional now seems a real and present danger. So many people are suffering and afraid and trying to escape threats to their homes and their lives. The scale of it scares me too.
Other people sometimes say, we have come through worse and we will get through this. Especially people who lived in the Cold War era. Perhaps it’s a great difference of perspective.
It all still leaves me with the question of what to do. How are we supposed to respond when fear seems to be taking hold and when we see so much suffering that we can’t do anything directly to heal? How do we cope with the scale of such unrest, when we don’t know what good we can do and it feels so out of control?
These questions really shake me at the moment.
Ginny xxx
Dignity Beyond Trauma 
I understand. There are certain things I see on the news that stays with me all day. It’s difficult because I want to do something, but what could I do, you know?
Great post.
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Exactly…
Thank you for stopping by and for your comment.
Xx
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I definitely understand what you mean. And I stay a it torn about it all the time, too. And there was a period of time several years back that I got to the point that I refused to watch or keep up with any current events at all because of the tremendous negative effect it would have on me. I watch now in a state of fascinated ‘I can’t believe what I’m seeing and hearing’ sort of mode. Gosh – this comment could turn into a post of it’s own if I don’t curb it back…..this is just a touchy thing for me too. But, the way I’ve come to try to at least counter the devastating things going on in the world today is to try to reach out in my own little circle. I hope the day comes where I find my place in volunteer work, but right now that’s not what I mean. I’m trying with each person I come into contact with to somehow make their day a little lighter and to do it in a way that it’s not obvious to them that that’s what I’m doing. I’m hoping some good karma in however minute way can wash out at least an equal portion size somewhere along the way. And it’s said that good deeds turn into other good deeds by the one you do the good deed for, so there’s another benefit of the small deeds we can do……Sorry for the length —- you just hit on something that’s daily on my mind….every single day. God bless you!
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Hello. I’m really sorry for the delay replying. I didn’t get any notification of your comment for some reason – or I missed it.
Thank you very much for your comment and please don’t apologise for the length.
I think your way of dealing with it and responding is a really good one. There is always a way we can do good. If the pain of the suffering we see leads us to do more good then that is a way hope can win out. I admire you. I think I try to do similar. You show that you don’t have to be officially doing organised or recognised volunteer work – very valuable and wonderful as this is – to be doing good. You are probably doing good that others may not even realise needs to be done. But it is very much appreciated by those you help and always seen by Our God.
God bless you xx
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