We have a serious game of one-up-manship going on. It’s everywhere and completely lacks empathy.
An easy example, one that likely isn’t triggering to most people, is weather.
Right now, Texas is just starting to thaw a bit. People went for days without electricity and/or running water. It’s killing people. Homes are flooding. Drinking water is scarce. Many foods are in short supply.
People from other parts of the country where snow is common are smack talking.
This isn’t to say that the overwhelming response is “So? We got way more snow than that this weekend,” but that the response is big enough to be noticeable is troubling.
It’s not the same. Can we agree it’s not the same?
If we can’t show empathy about things that truly are not about us at all (except maybe to say that we’re tougher because we regularly live through what we believe you’re complaining about?), how can we have compassion for people in situations that actually push our buttons?
We need to do better. Not just about the weather.