Is Compassion that Difficult?
Today I wake up with a heavy heart. I lost sleep last night over the fact that I did not weigh in on a conversation about the police shootings in Calgary. Have we become such a cold and ignorant society, that it is now okay to chuckle and make fun of the deaths of our fellow human beings? Are we as a society, so void of compassion and empathy that we can sit back and make fun of the brutal fate that is being suffered by the most vulnerable segment of our society?
When reading the comments making fun of the lady that we shot by Calgary City police, I was shocked and enraged. Every comment poked fun at the fact, that, if you come at the cops with a gun or a knife, you will get shot and killed. Not once did a person comment with a suggestion, that perhaps non-lethal force could of been an option. No one even considered the fact that this person may have had mental issues or been an addict in a psychotic state. No one even considered if this was someone's daughter, mother, friend, aunt or even simply human. We are so desensitized to the deaths of our abandoned subculture, that we simply turn our cheek and make fun of it now to make ourselves and our lives seem better or at least more valuable.
I understand that it is easier for me to have empathy and see what is going on because I have lived this life of death and despair. I have been the one in a cocaine psychosis state running down the street with a butcher knife. The fortunate thing for me was I did not stumble across a police officer and get shot and killed. I have also overdosed on fentanyl and was lucky to survive. I have also been homeless and experienced the apathy of a society that does not care. Well this has to change. We cannot keep going on like this and treating this segment of our society as if their lives do not matter.
It is time we stand up for our fellow man/woman and demand change. As a community and a society we can demand actual beneficial help for our most vulnerable. We can advocate for better and more applicable mental health treatments to help those with mental illness. This is an area of overlap as many in mainstream society also have some form of mental issues. Perhaps as a society it is as simple as ending the stigma against those with mental illness and promote awareness and compassion instead of ignorance and apathy. The other area for real concern is that of addictions. As a society, our governments have chosen to limit funding for treatment of those facing addiction issues. Treatment centers receive very limited funding and for limited number of people, requiring them to set aside a number of beds for privately funded care. Sober living houses only receive $40 a day for each client and are required to feed, house and counsel clients with this limited amount of funding. We have chosen to continue to criminalize drug addicts rather than treat them. Legislation yesterday controlling ingredients for fentanyl production further emphasizes this point. Controlling these substances does not solve the problem. The addict will always find a way to get their drug. Perhaps we as a society are the insane ones. We continue to approach this issue in the same manner over and over expecting a different result. This is the definition of insanity. It is perhaps time we tried something different.
Well I am sorry to burst everyone's bubble but I am going to make you think today. I am going to challenge you to exercise love and compassion this month. December is Suicide Prevention month and the two things lacking in the lives of those that commit suicide is love and compassion. Rather than making that cynical or joking comment this month on Facebook or in the coffee shop perhaps make a kind supportive one instead. Rather than turning the other cheek when passing a homeless person on the street perhaps spare some change or even take them for a hot meal and coffee and have a talk to them. You might be surprised to discover that they are people to. Together we can make a difference. If everyone does their part in being more compassionate, society as a whole will forever change in their treatment of our high risk and vulnerable fellow human beings. Just remember that they are people to. They are someones son or daughter, mother or father and even brother or sister. Please do your part.
