#empathy in disasters

[haveacupofjohanny]

California Fires: A Call for Empathy, Not Condemnation

When disaster strikes we DON'T need condemnation. The California fires ARE NOT a divine message—they’re a cry for action on climate change and assistance to those suffering. Let’s focus on solutions, not harmful rhetoric. Read more on my blog!

When wildfires sweep through California, devastating homes, ecosystems, and lives, they bring untold pain to those affected. Yet, amidst the ash and smoke, some see these disasters not as a crisis requiring empathy and action but as a stage for their religious or ideological beliefs. Ultra-conservative voices often seize on these tragedies to paint them as divine retribution or a “cleansing” of…

[phecdasolar]

Friendly reminder that if you see something bad or stressful on the internet you can ignore it. If you see something bad that’s trending you don’t have to click on it.

Your mental health comes first. This is going out specifically and especially to all my fellow hyper-empathetic people out there. If you know that going down a rabbit hole of information on a specific horrible topic is going to make you depressed or feel like crap then you don’t have to interact with that. (Edit: I have been informed that this is called “doomscrolling.” To repeat what I was told: Doomscrolling is not activism. It doesn’t end up helping anybody and it only hurts you.)

In this day and age where we have access to the internet and information about soooooo many different horrible things it can be so easy to get sucked in to all of it. We have wars, we have constant natural disasters (there’s a massive fire close to where I live right now, it’s barely contained, and is rivaling the fire we had a few years ago that destroyed an entire town. It’s terrifying), we have beloved creators being accused and revealed to have done horrible things (the fact that I can say this and multiple names immediately pop into my head sickens me).

The point is, take a break. Get off the internet. Breathe. Go for a walk. Maybe look at videos of cute baby animals, or compilations of “restore your faith in humanity.” Go read a book. Eat something you like. Take a nap. Drink some water. Take a shower. If you’re religious, pray about it. Take care of yourself and don’t allow yourself to drown in the dread.

And for the people who might come at me for this saying “how dare you not care about the problems going on or the pain other people are in!” That’s the problem. It’s not that I don’t care, the problem is that I care too much. Please refer back to the hyper-empathetic part of this message. I am a sympathetic crier. I will allow myself to get so sucked in to an issue and I will end up feeling terrible about it. I won’t want to leave my bed, I feel like crying and throwing up and there is an everlasting pit in my stomach the size of Alaska. I am no help to anyone in a state like that, and neither is anyone else. I will say it again, take care of yourself and your mental health first.

There’s a reason on planes they tell you to put your own oxygen mask on first before helping others.

But that’s not to say you have to ignore it completely! Take a step back, take a break, and then engage when and only when you feel like you’re at the mental/emotional/psychological capacity to do so.

When coming back a tip I have is pick one specific issue, and focus on that. Only one. Don’t overwhelm yourself. If you can, find a friend or someone you know is reliable and levelheaded and talk to them about it. Multiple perspectives can help a lot, plus you feel less alone when tackling a difficult situation.

It’s important when you’re gathering information on the issue that you know your sources are reliable, and you’re doing your own research. “Okay, multiple people on Tumblr are screaming about something but they’re saying different things about what’s going on.” Tumblr is not a reliable or credible source I am sorry besties. We are a bunch of dumpster gremlin raccoons given access to a platform to scream out our personal thoughts and opinions. Please don’t take them as solid immediate truth.

I have more I could say on this probably but it’s 1 am and I am losing my thought coherency. Have a good night/day and take care of yourselves <3

[manuinout]

Hope you like the Disear crumbs in my fic, there will be a lot more :3

[w1ng3dw01f]

I’m sorry?? What the fuck??? Does anyone making ‘eat the rich’/‘they deserve it’ comments and jokes about the LA fires have any empathy left at all??

People who know hurricane strength winds in the eastern part of the country should know how worrying these winds have been over the past few days, and they (the winds) were literally fanning the flames.

Here in the San Fernando Valley, the winds even had me stressing.

Not everyone who lives in the affected areas are rich. There are regular folk here too! Sylmar, where the Hurst fire is, is not a rich area. We’re all human beings here.

Additionally, the wildlife of the area are being heavily affected. Their ecosystems are burning.

Because of these fires, afterwards, we’ll most likely need to worry about mudslides next which can also be very destructive.

Also, regardless of people being rich or not, there are literal memories and livelihoods being destroyed. This is a tragedy. If your memories and livelihoods were destroyed in any way, you should know this pain.

I understand why you feel you may need to turn your anger towards us as something to laugh at for karma, but please.

Y’all should be ashamed for making those kinds of jokes.

[kithj]

first: be so serious, you would not "rather be homeless"

second: do you guys know that some people are just Born places and actually have no control over that. and some people grow up and love their homes and don't want to leave, and even if they chose to move there later, no one should be forced to abandon their homes permanently. it is literally that simple.

now please tell me where in the world you would move to that is completely free of extreme weather events. quickly. people from florida fled inland and were still hit! southern appalachia is not a hurricane zone. as i said in the tags on my original post, as the climate crisis worsens, one day this WILL happen to you, no matter where you live. it will.

[badolmen]

hey you guys know that even if the people inside that submersible are rich billionaires, dying in that metal tube at the bottom of the ocean is a horrific way to die right. like. yeah stupid choices were made by the people in there signing off on a waiver that says the sub is not approved by anyone and they could die. but it’s the fault of OceanGate for knowingly putting people into a Home Depot DIY sub rigged up with an Xbox controller all to make a profit on people’s curiosity.

[faeriefully]

girl in class proving that “privilege” and “lack of empathy” is not a white people thing no matter what the colleges try to tell you

[la-era-atomica]

Ok I looked into the Sin of Empathy to find out wtf blud's on about, and it seems like it's not exactly what it sounds like, but the Christian urge to make emotions sinful.

They keep bringing up this point of "Empathy being going into the water with a drowning person, while compassion is throwing a life preserver."

But Jesus DID go down with humanity. He got crucified. He got angry, a lot. He flipped tables even. Like this is a thing that happened. He wept when seeing the sins of humanity.

[oh-no-another-idea]

I maybe sorta have a new wip???

First line tag, from the wonderful @eccaiia (check theirs out here) and what better way to casually announce that I thought up a set of new vibes today? Anyways. It's very steampunk right now. We'll see where that goes. And here's a line!

Before their eyes, the doors slid open with a gasping hiss, releasing clouds of vapor and steam. [Empathy] threw her arms out, momentarily blind, and the steam dissipated, leaving behind the faint smell of metals and rust.

No pressure tags for @toribookworm22 @i-can-even-burn-salad @emelkae @space-writes and anyone else who sees this! <3

[fishysos]

Oh wow appalachia has been hit with flooding, I can't wait to see people say we deserved it because we're red states.

(nvm bc I've already seen fucking plenty)

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

u know... 2021 rachel was onto something when writing feeding habits harrison... like she walked I could FLY bc how did I singlehandedly give that man every single problem that could exist after struggling to see him as flawed for YEARSSS & how did that new level of understanding become foundational to the harrison we all know and love (loathe)

[lesbian-honey-lemon]

the X chromosome in my cells changing to a Y chromosome because my special interest is geology and I’m obsessed with building collapses and fires rather than fucking harry potter or some shit

and before you all come at me, I think we all know that in the screenshot, by male they mean AMAB, and by female they mean AFAB.

AMAB and AFAB autism don’t exist, it’s all just autism.

[talentforlying]

tim hunter: are you sure you're one of the good guys? constantine: there aren't any good guys, and there aren't any bad guys. there's just us. people. doing our best to get by. can you drive? tim hunter: i'm only twelve, john. constantine: i suppose it'll have to be me, then. (the violent crunching death of multiple bumpers and fenders ensues)

i mean, it's a fair question to ask when you've just seen half this dude's "friends" aggressively shoo him out the door and then watched him nick a car.

[byanyan]

@xiianxias sent:ㅤ"one dollar ... one dollar and i play your favorite song, any genre, any composer, on this instrument called 'erhu' ... just one dollar ... " it's late in the day, and despite his best efforts, lí chényǔ's tip jar is painfully empty. perhaps the crowd at the corner of market and 3rd just isn't as interested in listening to the erhu as they are in beginning the night's drunken revelry. or perhaps the musician himself --- dressed in ill-fitting clothes, his heavily-accented voice hoarse from overuse and the beginnings of a head cold --- simply isn't compelling enough to give a second look to. either way, lí chényǔ doubts he'll make enough to buy ingredients for a decent dinner for his younger siblings tonight ( and the thought of the sad looks on their faces makes his heart hurt. ) so when he sees a brightly-dressed stranger approaching, he hops up on his feet, taking a few steps in their direction. he's certain desperation is creeping into his voice, but he has no face left to save, and no pride left to salvage. "my friend, my friend, hey --- just one dollar, and i play you any song on this erhu --- "

ㅤalthough they spot him on their approach, byan doesn't think much of the busking musician and has no plans to pay him any mind, intending to ignore him the same way they ignore anyone performing on the street. —that is, until he starts moving toward them. footsteps slow slightly, something almost hesitant about the first footfall which doesn't match their previous tempo as the immediate wave of suspicion, which comes when any unfamiliar man approaches them directly, washes over them.

initially, they consider simply shoving past and continuing on their way, but something about the look in his eyes instead has them drawing to a reluctant halt. there's a familiar desperation in his features, in the way he's chosen to come straight at them rather than hoping for them to stop, that they find frustratingly difficult to ignore. thus, watching his mouth move and eyeing him up and down with continued reservation and mistrust, they finally reach up to pluck one of their earbuds free so they can actually hear him over their music.

ㅤ...and now that they can hear his voice, that desperation is all the more obvious, and it has byan gritting their teeth. they hate that they can't just walk past like everyone else, unbothered. here they are, with about twenty (stolen) dollars to their name, not exactly in much of a position to donate, meanwhile everyone who surely has at least a bit of cash to spare is just ignoring the guy. it's painfully familiar, and it pisses them off.

ㅤㅤ" not really in the mood, man. "ㅤgrumbling irritably, they reach into their pocket and feel around, seeking out and separating the two ten dollar bills they swiped out of someone's pocket a few hours ago. another moment of hesitation follows — splitting their 'earnings' means a smaller dinner for them tonight, and they don't owe this guy anything, it's not their fault if he goes hungry — but after a bit of stubborn deliberation, they finally pull one of the bills free and thrust it in his direction before they can think better of it.

ㅤㅤ" here. "ㅤthey don't sound happy about handing it over, rather seem more like they're fighting with every muscle in their body to keep from snatching it away again and running off, but it's presented to him nonetheless. having had moments in their past where someone handing them even one dollar would have made the night just that tiny bit less agonizing, they know all too well what it's like to be in that place and wouldn't be able to sit with the guilt they know would gnaw at them if they didn't offer something when they know they have enough that they can share.

ㅤ—god, they want to tear their conscience out of their chest, throw it on the ground, and stomp all over it right about now.

ㅤㅤ" just take it, okay? don't need you t' play anythin', i already got enough music goin' right now. "

[the-blissful-one]

It's worrying that people have no second thought about wishing people ill and certain death on people just because they're living another life than you. Like, be upset about millioners and billioners and todays world economics and whatever; but it's unhinged to wish death on someone like that.

You can have an opinion, you don't have to like those people, you can feel however you want- but this mindset is plain out disgusting and I would personally not like someone that thinks like that about someone else.

You don't have to like every body in this wold, you can hate people for smaller or bigger reasons- but you can still show compassion and humanity towards people you don't like.

It's not hard to be a decent human being.

[northern-passage]

we go through this every hurricane season but the way people will find any excuse to point the finger at the victims of natural disasters and say cruel shit like "fuck around and find out" like it's not horrifying having to leave behind your home and all your belongings and potentially your pets with the full knowledge that there might not be anything to come back to after... ignoring that there are people that don't have a car or the money to evacuate, ignoring disabled people who have no way to get out, ignoring people that can't find places for their pets to shelter, ignoring people that have medical equipment that can't be moved or replaced, etc... and even if someone stays behind solely because they want to, they still don't deserve to suffer.

as someone who worked extensively in disaster response previously, it is not easy to "just" evacuate, and the relief that comes afterwards is intentionally difficult to obtain. and already the forces that be are trying to spin this narrative that the victims are at fault, to put the blame on them so that if (probably when) people are forced to resort to looting (because the aid never comes) everyone will nod and agree that they're all bad people and deserved it... rather than acknowledging the fact that there was no attempt to make the evacuation accessible and safe for everyone, no guarantee that aid will be waiting for them when they return to a home that has been swept away... no empathy for the fact that these people's entire lives are potentially destroyed with no safety net to catch them.