California is on fire. Fire and smoke and ash are everywhere. Even though the southern part of the state (where I'm at) has escaped thus far, the news is still dominated by fire.
The danger in becoming more sensitive to and aware of one's spirit is that you FEEL. Everything. Whether it's fire in California or flooding in the Midwest, earthquakes in China or typhoons in Myanmar, your heart begins to be affected. Couple natural disasters with man-made disasters like the downward spiralling economy, the mortgage meltdown, the price of gas, the war in the Iraq, and the slumping construction industry and I'm actually experiencing what might be called "disaster fatigue."
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.
Is it that there are more disasters now or is it just that we have more access to information? Because the media focus on sex, scandal and disaster, I found my spirit getting calloused. Years ago I made the decision to cut off the satellite TV. Now I'm making the decision to restrict my radio and Internet news time to limit the disaster fatigue. My priorities need to stay focused on home. My wife and my son Ben who is my last son at home. It may seem selfish to you, but it's where I feel I can have the greatest positive impact.
In the past, I would let this disaster fatigue affect my temper in such a way that I'd create my own disaster at home. I still have to be very careful and aware not to let it happen now. This is where a deep Faith in an all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere present God is critical. A Faith that withstands bad things happening to good people. A Faith that is especially soothing and helpful when things are going wrong all around me. Helpful in the sense that it provides a template for character traits into which I can mold myself (and be molded by God). Molded in such a way that I come through trials strengthened, not damaged, or having damaged those close to me. Reading and acting out Scripture is an especially helpful way to acquire this Faith.
Guard your heart, Kim
Wow. I almost did a post just like this recently (but now you've done it for me :)
ReplyDeleteI completely relate. I've been deliberately avoiding eye contact with the Yahoo news feeds when I log in. I just couldn't shake the fatigue, the sorrow. You probably know I'm a person who feels it is important to be connected to the world. But there can, I think, be TOO much connection.
Well said!
LL, Do I dare say great minds think alike? Ha ha! Seriously, just as in your post about nature curing technology fatigue, I think we have to disconnect from the world to a degree and re-connect with God and nature to address disaster fatigue.
ReplyDelete