In my vast fifty years of living, I have seen glimpses of humans at their best and at their worst. As I watch the coverage of the recovery efforts of Hurricane Harvey I am reminded that most people are good. That despite what the media chooses to tell us, the human race isn’t as disgusting and vile as they would like us to believe. Doesn’t matter what race, economic status or whatever separation that society seems to dictate, we are in this messy world together.
When I visited the concentration camps in Germany and Poland, they were literally as they were at the end of the war. The camps went on for days and there was an eerie reminder of the horror that humans did to each other. Did you know it wasn’t just Jewish people that were targets? There were Catholics, Ethnic Poles, Ukrainian Slavs, Soviet POWs, Serbs, the disabled, Romani, Freemasons, Homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the list goes on. It was about getting rid of those who were different. But, there were the helpers. So many stories of people risking themselves to save others. That is the human spirit at its best.
History dictates that fear propels hate. When we are fearful, we lash out and sometimes we do so without having all the information. While I dislike our current state of affairs and the fact that it takes a massive tragedy to unite a country, I hope that we can ride the wave of compassion a little while longer. That we can hold on to the notion that being a helper in the world makes more of an impact than carrying hate and bitterness around like bulky luggage. Look for the helpers. Hold on to the blessings. Breathe in the compassion.
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