This whole ordeal got me thinking about the inherent compassion of humankind. Namely, the amount of empathy and sympathy I've received from the people I've talked to, mainly coworkers and friends. It's amazing how much support and genuine compassion is readily available, and I honestly believe that compassion (to a certain level) is innate in everyone. Some people relate to me because they've been through similar family crises. Others simply know what it is to care about another person deeply, and I think others just care about me as a friend. Very few have ever met my father, and yet they wish us their very best.
Most days, I wake up and read the news, and the majority of headlines are negative. Suicide bombing here. Devastating floods there. School shooting here. Plenty of intolerance everywhere. I work in nonprofits, so I generally have some positive stories from work to balance me out. Not always, but there's usually at least a silver lining. Otherwise, I know for a fact that good people are doing great things around the world, every day. Most of those stories just don't sell as front page news.
I don't think that anyone is inherently 'good' or 'evil.' Everyone is raised in different settings and have their own personalities, and everyone reacts differently to adversity. One person will view the loss of a loved one as an unjust punishment and go out to exact revenge, another person will realize the fleeting nature of life and dedicate the rest of their life to helping prevent similar situations. It's not necessarily a judgement on anyone's character, I don't think that's fair. We all come from different walks, and have accordingly divergent viewpoints.
Cynic that I am, I believe that the vast majority of people know general right from wrong. And, like the Liberty Mutual Insurance Commercials, cheesy as they are, compassion is contagious. Whether as a reminder of your mother's lectures or guilt for not being as good a person, witnessing a selfless act (in my opinion) will typically trigger something of a chain reaction.
Life is simply unfair to a lot of people. You can do your best, help others your whole life, and still get shit on. Why bother? And yet I've worked with literally some of the world's very poorest people, and they have consistently been among the most generous I've known.
I don't mean to preach, and I don't want to be 'that guy' who has suddenly found the meaning of life based on a single incident. All I am promoting is compassion and perspective. I've been working toward this for several years now, so this is not new to me. And yet, I will still undoubtedly judge someone too hastily this week, and I won't always be able to put myself in someone else's shoes. However, my point is that when we are reminded of the inherent fragility of life and the warmth of human compassion, try to ride the wave as long as you can, and pass it along to the best of your abilities. You probably won't reap any rewards beyond a subtle sense of personal satisfaction, but the full impact of your action may have untold reach. Or, it may simply ease the worried mind of an anxious son. Either way, good happens.
