Compassion Fatigue and Touching a Soul

I crawled out of bed this morning, still a little tired from a good night out with friends, but rested none the less. After morning prayers, some nice time reading from the Sacred Writtings, and getting the old teeth brushed, I stolled into the living room and turned the TV on to CNN as I set down on the futon...

"A car bomb ripped through a packed Baghdad marketplace Saturday morning, killing at least 62 people and wounding 114 others..."

"Authorities on Friday found two human heads in front of a state government office in the Mexican resort of Acapulco..."

"Fighting this week between Chadian insurgents and government and African peacekeeping troops in Central African Republic left at least 33 people dead..."

"Gangs of young men hurled rocks at a camp housing refugees and torched houses in East Timor's capital Wednesday in a sign that weeks of crisis may not be over ..."

"A roadside bomb exploded Tuesday under a military truck packed with security officers headed to guard a school in Thailand..."

"Four days of heavy rains in Indonesia have triggered deadly floods and landslides, killing 200 people and leaving another 130 missing..."

There may have been a time in my life when this would have overwhelmed me, but not today. There may have been a time in my life when this would have brought me to tears, but not today. I got up off the futon, turned the TV off, and headed up to Sweet Eugenes House of Java to study Biochemistry. It didn't effect me at all. I have become numb. I have become callus to the suffering of my fellow human beings. I am suffering from what I suspect many other like myself suffer from...compassion fatigue. They don't touch my soul, and I don't touch theirs.

How did it ever come to this? Saint Paul in Romans 12:15 says, "...weep with those who weep." How is it that a follower of Jesus Christ could be so unmoved by the plight of the suffering souls the world over? How did I get this way, and what can I do...what can we do to turn around and be a voice of compassion, reason, and sympathy in this world?

How did we get this way?

1. We watch too much TV. -- even the most compassionate heart will grow numb from hours of exposure to violence, death, corruption, disaster, and tragedy.

2. We don't pray -- usually, at best, we just say "Isn't that awful?" and then go on about our business.

3. Our lives, generally speaking, are insulated from such horrific suffering and tragedy -- the TV is usually the closest we will get.

4. We don't take Jesus seriously -- we assume teachings about orphans, widows, prisoners, and "the least of these" only apply to people who are "called" to do those things.

What we can do to avoid compassion fatigue:

1. Don't watch so much TV -- Honestly, you probably wouldn't be any worse off if you threw that life sucking box out the window. But, in the very least, be careful where you get your news from. Try newspapers or websites. That way it doesn't come at you so fast. Maybe even read the Editiorial section. That way you get some commentary instead of just a straight regurgitation of the facts.

2. Pray -- alone and with others.

3. Get involved -- find ways to be an agent of change, to push back the darkness, and to be a light in a dark world.

4. Touch a soul -- seek out those who are suffering and hurting. Learn their names. Look in their eyes. Listen to their stories. Compassion isn't just sending money to a charity. That is pity.

5. Take Jesus seriously. Let Him change you and your priorities.


"A billion people died on the news tonight
But not so many cried at the terrible sight...
Why don't the newscasters cry when they read about people who die?
At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eyes"
--from The News, a song by Jack Johnson