November 1, 2023
I have been working on this blog for weeks. Normally, an inspiration presents itself and the words just flow. But this subject seemed to require a lot of tending to and many iterations. I have been grieving the human condition for a long time, and recently it has gotten deeper.
As an empath, I have grieved how we humans treat each other, the other inhabitants of this beautiful planet we call home, and the planet itself. Having spent decades studying microorganisms and their behaviors and survival mechanisms in my previous work as a microbiologist, I look at the world both from a microscopic and a macroscopic perspective.
As a child I was raised in a household where were expected to have “good words, good thoughts, good deeds”, as the ancients had taught in the land I was born. We were taught to respect others and nature. I also grew up reading profound poetry such as this:
The children of Adam are limbs of a whole
Having been created of one essence.
When the calamity of time afflicts one limb
The other limbs cannot remain at rest.
If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others
You are not worthy to be called by the name of “man”
Saadi Shirazi (Gulistan, 1258)
I do my best to comply with what was engrained in me. We are all humans. What sets us apart from other creatures is awareness of our behaviors. I strive to practice that awareness.
To bear witness to the amount of hatred and vengeance that has colored our world is truly painful. This is not a new phenomenon. I was reading a book about medieval times and the story of Camelot and noticed that not much has changed in the way humans have treated each other in all these centuries, and beyond.
To react versus to respond come from two different parts of the brain. One that is in survival mode, and one that seeks to come from a place of reflection and reason. The distinction becomes important when we lose our connection to our ability to reflect and respond, and instead react based on raw emotions. When the connection between our hearts and minds are severed, we react rather than respond. That is what I see happening.
I won’t even use the words love and peace here, as I am not sure they will penetrate through the thick clouds of heavy grief and trauma surrounding our planet. How can there not be grief? When people do not feel safe to go to a public place in fear of getting shot by an angry person. When people have lost loved ones so senselessly. And when there are the endless wars taking their toll on humanity.
In my experience, when there is unresolved trauma and grief that is passed down, and no intentions or opportunities for resolving them, inflicting pain on others is the only way one can make themselves feel better and justify it. There’s a saying that hurt people, hurt others. Only when there is intention for moving through the hurt and bringing healing to it, can we move towards some assemblance of peace. Pride and ego have no place in this conversation. Forgiveness does.
This is true on the micro level as well as macro level, which includes those in positions of power. They are “humans” too, vulnerable to the effects of trauma in their own lives, and the behaviors that manifest from unhealed wounds. The premise that they need to act with responsibility, reason and reflection does not diminish that fact.
So yes, I grieve the human condition. Because as Saadi’s poem above reflects, we are all limbs of a whole. We cannot rest while another limb is lost.
Akin to throwing a pebble in a pond that forms ripples across the water, hope and joy can form ripples that spread. As do fear and vengeance. We can each make a choice which pebble we cast in the pond. We can each be responsible and accountable for our own actions towards others. We can keep hope alive, strong enough to send shocks throughout the world.