Traffic Lights, Empathy, and the World After 2020

Hello beautiful people!

For the past few months, I have been asking myself: What is going on with the world? Or at least, what is going on here where I live, and in everything I see on social media?

A few years ago, I wrote on my old blog (You can find the link here: https://www.cecysuniverse.com/post/flashback-2021-will-we-pass-the-exam) asking if we had actually learned anything from 2020. When we went back to service on the ships, some of the guests just seemed really angry, tired, and fed up. I believe that was understandable; too many people had it hard, experienced real loneliness, and lost faith in humanity or the system.

But at the same time, you would have thought that we, as humans, would have helped each other be better. You would have thought the system would improve. But I guess the world really wasn't prepared for that. We never thought that in a globalized world, everything could come to a complete stop.

But it did. It came to a complete stop.

And while some people suffered—like really suffered—there was another side to the coin. We saw how nature started rebuilding itself without us out there. We started seeing people singing or playing instruments from their balconies, reaching out to make connections, and trying to give hope to others.

To be honest, I am not entirely sure how to put into words what I’m seeing or feeling right now. I guess what I mean is that after experiencing such a massive event, I hoped we would have learned to treat nature better. I hoped we would treat others with respect because we really don’t know what is going on in their minds or their lives.

Instead, we are quick to judge. Where is that part of humanity where we tried to make others happy? Where is that hope?

It is easy to see the lack of kindness when you run a simple errand in your car. People are not kind while driving; they don’t respect traffic lights or signs. For example, down the street from where I live, there is a 4-way stop, and very few people actually respect that intersection. People just drive past in front of you, and if you honk the horn, they are rude to you as if you were the one in the wrong!

Everyone just seems to be in a hurry, acting as if they are more important than others.

Another example: I was driving recently and there was a long line of cars waiting to get into a parking lot. The majority of people were waiting patiently, but then came a guy in a pickup truck trying to cut the line almost all the way at the front.

My question is: Why?

Why do you think you have priority over all the others in line? We are all in a hurry. We all have other things to do. But still, he tried to cut. (Fortunately, he wasn't able to get in and had to leave!)

I am not sure if it is the media, the news, life events, or just the world we live in, but I feel people are not as connected as they think they are.

There is a word that gets thrown around a lot lately: EMPATHY.

But I am not sure if people know exactly how to use it, or if they understand its meaning completely. I feel people use it to their advantage, or only whenever it benefits them.

Why are some people so eager to show others that they are "better"? Or that they have more power? Or that they deserve more than you do?

Courtesy and values seem to be fading. I believe we are becoming a "Me-First" Society, and just to avoid feeling guilty, we throw the word "Empathy" around.

Now, I am not saying I am free from all sins. I have fallen into the trap of getting super annoyed at people like this and reacting, instead of trying to be the better person.

I know there is so much going on around the world, in our cities, and in our neighborhoods. We are receiving a lot of information—and misinformation—constantly. Dealing with that and our own lives is 100% overwhelming.

It would be nice to read good news, to spread the good, and to make it known—not just with comments on a social media post, but with actions. I am not saying good things don’t happen, but I do believe that bad news travels faster than the good.

I see posts where people write things like, "I don’t believe in religion, but I do good and have empathy." That is 100% a valid statement, but the question is: “What good do you actually do?” and “What do you mean by empathy?”

• Does "doing good" just mean posting about what I am against?

• Does being an empath mean I posted something that made me sad about a world event?

• OR... does "doing good" mean I went to a shelter and took food to people who are hungry?

• Does being an empath mean I took off my jacket and gave it to a homeless man because I can feel the cold he is feeling?

• Did I try to talk to the person who hurt me to understand what happened, because maybe that person is broken and needs to be understood?

  
  

Maybe we need to stop being selfish and realize there is a world out there beyond social media.

Maybe being an empath doesn't mean other people have to understand me and my suffering.

Maybe it starts with me trying to understand others. (Obviously without compromising one’s mental health—there are limits to everything!)

Today’s blog goes out to everyone—even to myself. Let's try to think about others, do less talking, and do more actions that reflect kindness and love.