Thinking ahead

Not sure why I suddenly came to think about a picture I saw in my Facebook feed quite some time ago, but I remember that I immediately had the impulse to share it but my thoughtful brain stopped me at the last second. My empathic heart didn't understand why and was confused...

The picture in question is heart-breaking, it wants to burrow into our conscience and make us feel bad and think “What do I really have to complain about? My problems, my sadness, my life crisis can never be worse than this, right?

Sure, there are many of us who are relatively well off and has a life many would be grateful for, but should we really feel bad about it? I think we are x billion people on this planet, each with their own background, difficult challenges and struggles.

We have different references to what we experience as difficult, problematic or critical depending on several circumstances, geographical origin, growing up conditions, economy, health, politics, religion, war etc.

When I let my brain think a little along these lines, I'm a little provoked by the image, not the photograph itself which is heart-breaking for anyone, but what the message really means for all those who are struggling with what in their own eyes, is an unimaginable life crisis. Sharing the picture feels like minimizing and spitting on these people's difficult experiences "Look here and be ashamed you whining cry-baby"!

I know how easy it is to share and pass pics along without thinking, but I wish we could all take a few minutes to reflect and think. A message, however heart-warming and urgent, can actually also do harm......

XOXO