This is fantastic. When you do turn it into a post, though, consider the extent to which emotions and actions are part of a feedback loop—if I look away from the suffering of others so as not to feel their pain, I may come to accept it as normal, and that in turn may affect my actions.
I think you focus too much on possible negative outcomes. I thought this when reading your article, and reading this comment confirmed it.
Yes, it is possible that looking away from the suffering of others will affect your actions, so you will not help them. And it is also possible that looking too much at the suffering of others will make you depressed, so you will not be able to do anything, not even helping them. Seems to me that you prefer to focus on the first possibility and ignore the other one. This is your choice.
You are not perfect, and whatever you do, you will never be perfect. This is the bad news. The good news is that you are not perfect, but you can improve. Again, it is your choice whether you focus on the “I can improve” or the “but I will not be perfect anyway” part of the message. Both parts are true.
If something is bad, understanding that it is bad doesn’t make it worse. You see bad things that you didn’t see before, and it makes you sad. But unlike before, now you can also see how to improve things. Even a small improvement is better than nothing (although on higher levels, you should strive for more than just small improvements). Imagine that this is a “lesson 1”. Your first lesson is to make a small improvement, and not care about anything else. After you complete the lesson 1, you get to a lesson 2, which requires you to make a bigger improvement. A bigger improvement can either be something larger, or something that provides long-term benefits. But don’t skip your lessons. Start with the lesson 1, and focus on the lesson 1. You can do it. The goal for now is not to become perfect. The goal is to complete the lesson 1. Higher challenges await you in next lessons. And yes, sometimes the progress is slow. Don’t complain and focus on your lessons. Do something. Then, do something better. Etc.
This is fantastic. When you do turn it into a post, though, consider the extent to which emotions and actions are part of a feedback loop—if I look away from the suffering of others so as not to feel their pain, I may come to accept it as normal, and that in turn may affect my actions.
I think you focus too much on possible negative outcomes. I thought this when reading your article, and reading this comment confirmed it.
Yes, it is possible that looking away from the suffering of others will affect your actions, so you will not help them. And it is also possible that looking too much at the suffering of others will make you depressed, so you will not be able to do anything, not even helping them. Seems to me that you prefer to focus on the first possibility and ignore the other one. This is your choice.
You are not perfect, and whatever you do, you will never be perfect. This is the bad news. The good news is that you are not perfect, but you can improve. Again, it is your choice whether you focus on the “I can improve” or the “but I will not be perfect anyway” part of the message. Both parts are true.
If something is bad, understanding that it is bad doesn’t make it worse. You see bad things that you didn’t see before, and it makes you sad. But unlike before, now you can also see how to improve things. Even a small improvement is better than nothing (although on higher levels, you should strive for more than just small improvements). Imagine that this is a “lesson 1”. Your first lesson is to make a small improvement, and not care about anything else. After you complete the lesson 1, you get to a lesson 2, which requires you to make a bigger improvement. A bigger improvement can either be something larger, or something that provides long-term benefits. But don’t skip your lessons. Start with the lesson 1, and focus on the lesson 1. You can do it. The goal for now is not to become perfect. The goal is to complete the lesson 1. Higher challenges await you in next lessons. And yes, sometimes the progress is slow. Don’t complain and focus on your lessons. Do something. Then, do something better. Etc.