One Way to Evade Compassion Fatigue

One Way to Evade Compassion Fatigue
Psalm 79

The expression “compassion fatigue” has been around for a while. The nature of modern communications media means that we become instantly aware of suffering in different parts of the world, but we cannot deal with all that suffering or live with that awareness, and we have to turn off. When I was caring for my first wife through the years she was ill, I had to live with the temptation to feel guilty that I couldn’t be a good husband because I couldn’t “solve” her illness. People who are a step further away from someone who is ill are often inclined to stay one step away because coming close means becoming involved in the sense of helplessness and guilt. If that experience is a reality in connection with individuals, how much bigger a reality it is in connection with the suffering of communities and nations. A recent newspaper article noted how it applies to the problems of joblessness, house foreclosures, and starvation. It can seem that we pump millions from state money or individual generosity and the problem in question refuses to go away (indeed, we hear that the money has been siphoned off by profiteers)...