Waiting for Irma to come and go got me thinking – about what happens after the storm…about all the fallout from what is a deadly, never-seen-before event; the second once-in-a-500-year-storm in a little over two weeks.
I predict that for a time, misery will love company. Regardless of political party, religion, race, education level, financial status or any other variable, the storm will, to some degree, impact everyone in Florida. Some in manufactured and mobile homes will make it through unscathed; others in mansions will not. Folks will pull together to help because we need each other to get through the aftermath and clean-up; at some point, they/we will be the beneficiary of empathy and concern from our fellow citizens which will translate into positive action helping us all return to normalcy.
And then when the winds calm and sunshine returns and everything is back where it belongs, we will all retreat to our respective corners, having learned nothing about translating and generalizing the value of empathy and compassion into actions that actually make a difference in the lives of others every day; people we don’t know and will never meet. We come together when a massive disaster strikes impacting entire populations but what about all the individual disasters that are part of everyday life for many of our fellow citizens? Do you care? Can you, do you, bother to imagine what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes? That ability is one of the differences between many Trump supporters and most everyone else – please note that I did not say Republicans and everyone else.
People tend to vote for those who reflect their values – who they themselves are or aspire to be. It’s probably an exercise in futility to expect adults to change their values or character so it’s worth identifying those elements that resist change. After all, why spend valuable time and effort trying to teach a fly to talk…or, maybe, to teach Trump supporters to care for and about others they don’t know and will never meet. They aren’t interested in trying on their shoes, let alone walking a mile in them. Empathy is not their strong suit. Nor is it Trump’s.
We like to think we’re all part of a social compact we make with one another as citizens of this already great country. And regardless of what religion we practice (or don’t) doing the ‘right thing’ can pretty much be summed up by, ‘Do unto others,’ and ‘treat others the way you want to be treated.’ The Golden Rule is a good working definition of empathy; it’s putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. But those words fervently said on Sunday are not always appreciated on Monday. For instance, would you be willing to pay 17 cents more for a Big Mac if it meant that workers there could feed their own families? Would you be willing to pay extra for goods and services if it meant Walmart employees didn’t qualify for food stamps…the end result of which benefits the richest family in America? Would you be happy if DACA recipients were able to stay in the only country they’ve ever known and become citizens? Would you be willing to pay more for your health insurance so that others have it as a right? For many of us, maybe most of us, the answer would be an emphatic ‘yes.’ And while we’re at it, why would anyone support a tax cut they will never see, that was designed by and for multi-millionaires and billionaires while millions of their fellow citizens suffer needlessly?
There have always been people in society whose concerns are basically for themselves, their family and, maybe, others like them. In order to justify their non-action, they cite the welfare queen, the high school drop-out, the addicted, the undocumented, the unmotivated to prove those in need are unworthy and undeserving. Trump and his administration have made this not just acceptable but something to strive for by systemically hacking away at social programs, civil rights and regulations that benefit the citizenry but cut into corporate profits. His lack of empathy acts as a two way mirror – reflecting both him and those who continue to support him.
Well, some of us are about to be on the receiving end and in great need of empathy and compassion…and action. People all over the state will have lost everything resulting from just lousy luck. Or maybe they chose to live in a flood zone – or what has become a flood zone. Or maybe they decided to take a risk, save their back and not put away the lawn ornaments that broke the windows that flooded the house that made it unlivable. Or maybe they had the chutzpah to choose to live in Florida knowing perfectly well that sooner or later they were bound to be hit by a hurricane. For whatever reason, would you, the taxpayer, deny these people help from FEMA if you had the power to do so? Probably not so much the last example, huh.
A favorite response of Trump supporters to opinions like these is not to address the content but to label the writing and the writer ‘liberal’…or variations of the word – ‘libtard’ comes to mind. Disgusting – not the first syllable, but the last. They use ‘liberal’ as a verbal weapon, as the ultimate insult.
Webster defines ‘liberal’ as “possessing or manifesting a free and generous heart; a broad and enlightened mind, free of narrowness, bigotry or bondage…any person who advocates liberty of thought, speech or action.” ‘A free and generous heart’…empathy defined. Who would not want to claim that? Oh, right.
Marsha Shearer is a resident of The Villages and a frequent contributor to Villages-News.com.
