Just one thing ….

The role of empathy

At the moment at every turn I’m hearing these words. 

‘…..If just one thing goes wrong….’ followed by …’ We’re doomed. Damned. Down!’

It’s the person who owns a house crippled by repayments knowing if one thing goes wrong. Sickness. Injury. Losing a job. They have no way out. No fall back. No cushions to ease the strain for a while. 

These words carry over to the renters as well. Just one thing and it’s the edge of homelessness. 

This is the state of the economy and housing. 

This isn’t unlike the words for those who know the dire consequences of their health right now. Just one thing goes wrong and there’s a threat of losing everything. Many working two or more jobs to float, just surviving, illness means you can’t keep up, that you fall behind, that someone else will step in. 

And this isn’t unlike those in dire need for work or holding their employment. Just one slip and you fall. 

The pressure at the moment is past boiling point. As we bobble around the pot as bubbles of water; being jostled to and fro getting hotter by the day. 

Seemingly there’s no where to turn because all of us fit into this category somewhere. This is all our story unless we’re high in glass housing as the 1%. 

Empathy is our soothing gel for the burn we feel right now.

The capacity to feel and acknowledge our own pain, the neighbours pain, our communities pain, calls us to slow down. To take compassion with us out the door each day. To find patience so that we have silence and space to choose empathy at every turn. 

There’s little room now for escalated showings of stress, and anger, and violence. It’s now on our knees with tears and frustration and begging that we find each other and have one tool that can help us all stand. And that’s empathy. 

Placing a rug around the shoulders of each other a comforting arm and a warm smile. A knowing glance of I know this moment and we can get through. 

This empathy leads to unity where we then lift each other and rise together. And rebuild for each other, with each other, amongst all of life. 

Finding that community, that empathy, that space, that we are willing to do that with is essential right now. This doesn’t mean we seek only like minded souls, diversity will always be our depth. Amongst the greatest forest lies the undergrowth as well the towering trees all in synchronicity all harmoniously striving, we are this too. We need all voices, all angles, all perspectives, filled with the empathy to deeply listen and honour the beautiful world we all seek to build.