Last night I watched Life is Beautiful, a movie about a Jewish Italian family who became victims of the Holocaust. I have no idea how I missed this back in 1997–it’s breathtaking and, of course, heartbreaking. A film is one thing, but it’s so tough when the whole world feels heartbreaking. It can become overwhelming.
Overwhelming is exactly the problem. The idea of doing anything is overpowered by a feeling of helplessness. There’s so much more than one thing that needs to be done. There are a million things. And doing anything feels like pulling on the proverbial thread that goes on and on.
Our lives are busy. We have the luxurious distractions that are part of living in a relatively safe, prosperous bubble. I know it doesn’t always feel safe or prosperous–but this is the gift of perspective. Many of our lives are busy jumping from one zoom meeting to another. I have found myself complaining about the hassle of going from a Zoom to a Teams meeting–my background has to be reset (heaven forbid). I often spend hours a day running my son around to this sports practice and that doctor appointment. I am inconvenienced when my car is in the shop longer than expected. I am way overdue for a mani-pedi. You know what I mean, right? I’m not saying that our lives and our experiences aren’t important; they are not to be diminished. But in the scheme of things–some of what we consider burdensome are really not that big of a deal. We are ok. We are mostly healthy. Our lives are mostly filled with more blessings than curses.
And when we pause to look at, to witness, the horror that is the constant existence of others, it feels overwhelming.
What can one person do, after all?
So instead we brush it away as a distant; unattached to our own reality. What does the conflict in Sudan have to do with me? I may read about what is happening in Sudan and why. Because we are good people–we feel pity for them. If only there was something we could do that would make a difference, of course, we certainly would…
Closer to home may be an easier path to our agency–our ability to do something. To try to be part of the solution. We can be a big brother or sister to a child who could use one. Or help a neighbor rake the leaves in their yard. Or perhaps write an email or tweet to the Governor of Missouri and ask for a stay of execution for Marcellus Williams, accused of a 1998 murder. The case is filled with untrue testimonies, mishandling of evidence, and lacking DNA that ties Williams to the murder. Even without a law degree I can see the justice in not killing a man with so many questionable elements in his conviction.
I know it can feel overwhelming–all the causes, groups, and people who could use some support. Thankfully, there are organizations, like the Innocence Project, that create an inroad. I was introduced to the Innocence Project about 5 years ago through a friend who is on the board, a woman for whom I have tremendous admiration as a lover of and fighter for justice. I then came to know Christina Swarns, the organization’s Executive Director, a brilliant and accomplished attorney who has dedicated her career to justice. These two women alone are examples of what one person can do. Moreover, they and people like them, those who create paths to education and action for the rest of us, are true heroes and sheroes. Pick a cause, I bet there is a path to action.
I am reading a book right now called the Tattooist of Aushwitz. Again, heartbreaking. In it there is a quote that is repeated, “to save one is to save the world.” I like that quote. It’s still overwhelming, but it gives me a path forward. A place to start. With one. I can and will act on one, hopefully over and over again.
My prayers go to the Williams’ family. And to those living in war zones in Sudan, Gaza, those who are held hostage, abused, trafficked, oppressed. My only effort cannot be prayer, though. If each of us acts, it’s not one person after all, is it?
Sending love,
DeEtta