Playing Opossum

Finding compassion in an apathetic world

What is the opposite of compassion? In conversation with a friend who is striving to have more compassion both for herself and others, this topic came up. Is it judgement? Is it apathy? Fear? Ultimately, I believe it’s fear, but apathy leaves a taste in my mouth I don’t like much. A few things have happened lately that have me questioning my own compassion. Have I become apathetic in certain situations? Have we developed apathy to cope with the world at large? We are inundated with chaos and horrifying things every time we scroll or watch the news, it’s like constant rubbernecking from our own homes.

My oldest son came home the other night with a story to tell. In truth that guy comes home every night with a story to tell, but this one was different. On his way home from work, he needed gas and the first station he stopped at didn’t have the grade he needed so he went downtown. While he was pumping gas, he heard gunshots, and they were close. In truth the gunshots didn’t faze him much because, where we live, they happen, more and more, they happen. He finished up at the gas station and started for home. Turning the corner, the ambulance had just arrived, and he saw the person who had been shot lying on the crosswalk. This is not something anyone should ever be used to and yet here we are. This situation should register as a HUGE trauma and yet we live in a world where people get shot every day and we distance ourselves emotionally from sadness and cruelty, we distance ourselves from humanity and loss of life. We rarely grieve.