Have you cried? Do you care? Please tell me I am not alone.

reply to post by TWINCPONE


Or maybe life is an ever spinning wheel and it is important not to get v=caught up in things you have no control over.

the last time i cried was over the thought of my grandpa dying when i found out he got alhzeimers and parkinsons.
i haven't since and the last time i did before that I was a kid and it was over a scraped knee. and thats it.
but on a scale like this it's more disbelief than sadness. the scope of it can't sink in all at once, it's too much emotion too much shock, it would overload and you'd be depressed forever. you just have to realize that it's a part of life and you can move on with ease. just remember that your alive for now and one day you'll be the one in the videos.

reply to post by westcoast


Hey Op, don't feel alone.

For one thing i too have posted a few links to the crisis, but it seems more people are interested in Charlie Sheen or other such bs.

As for crying, no... But I had nightmares last night, and I can't help thinking about it. Especially realising the 50 people who have been trying to cool the reactors down, probably won't live for long after being exposed to so much radiation.

Yes it's very sad. But just passing on the information and trying your best is what you can do to help.

I hope you feel better soon

reply to post by LoveSoldier


That is a VERY good point. I think many, including myself at times, have lost touch with not only our emotion but ultimately with our humanity. We have been preconditioned to the point of indifference for what is happening around us, at least until we are hit in the face with it . . . maybe this is the wake-up that so many speak of?

reply to post by westcoast


I just attribute to an increase in empathy for the plight of others.

Disasters like this have the power to unite the populace and there's nothing wrong with coming to terms with what's going on.

I tend not to cry out of sadness, just occasionally frustration.

I'm still fairly young, in my late twenties, but i've seen some grim things in my time. I've seen violence, i've seen drug abuse, extreme poverty (Mumbai), i've seen sickness and illness and injuries and accidents.

I'm slightly desensitized to some stuff, but that doesn't mean I don't care.

As I say, I have trouble sleeping when such things occur, with a thousand thoughts bouncing in my head, as it's mostly incomprehensible to deal with it all at once.

Originally posted by TWINCPONE
For a guy I feel an unusually high amount of empathy in situations like this, but particularly when it's closer to my world personally. I don't deal with funerals of relatives very easily. I cry quite a bit for a guy in his lower 20's, when I think about something like this disaster but also the state of the world in general. I feel helpless and that only makes it worse.

It helps me to just open up to my mother sometimes when I'm overwhelmed. I've got a very short fuse so maybe I just experience emotion stronger than most guys or don't hide it as well (I think the latter).

I notice that there are a lot of seemingly emotionless zombies out there that just get off on being apathetic and making light of things that are deadly serious. Maybe that's a defense mechanism for people who seem to have stunted development for whatever reason (I've got my own ideas on that) but it pisses me off.

I know there are a lot of psychopathic personalities out there (especially towards the upper strata). I think the hyperconsumerist culture makes the majority of people who aren't mentally disturbed obsessed with themselves and trivial things.

emotion is feeling and feeling is what makes you human predominantly, it gives you value. Feeling is beyond words because the complete opposite side of the brain is used to create it. words like happy and sad are far to symbolic to represent any emotional state of reality for it is fluid and actual experience. I have actually made elaborate essays on this and have shown them to many people, it is somewhat my lifes work. perhaps I will post them here one day, they explain very well many subjects that are critical for human development of the psyche.

But I digress..

To feel emotion is highly respectable, be it any emotion. but whenever the emotional side of the brain overpowers the analytical side, you are going to have problems that will make you seem analytically "weak" or less than until you have learned to operate both sides of the brain as one psychologically.

It helps me to see myself as equal no matter what, I mean we are all on this rock we dont know how we got here and we dont know where we are going, but we are together and theres some pretty awesome stuff here.

In the words of John Lennon, Why on earth are we here? Surely not to live in pain and fear.

One thing I can guarantee all of you, if you can cry while you are smiling you are a good person.

I am kinda relieved to know I am not alone I have been feeling like my soul is in some turmoil. I havent been feeling physically well or emotionally and each passing day these feelings are increasing. I am unable to sleep when I do its for a couple hours or less at a time. When I do sleep I normally dont dream lately my dreams have been very lucid and catastrophic space or future based with intense situations ususally strange. Maybe its just a wild dream and some stress or maybee as a collective consciousness we are all feeling some form of the devastation in Japan and Egypt Tunesia and Bahrain through our collective life experiences. So much trouble in the world today. I really miss the old days.

I care very deeply for these people - they are not Japanese, American, British, African etc They are People. With the same wants and needs as we all have. The same hopes and dreams along with the same reasons for laughter and tears. These people have been through so very much since WW11 when they were left alone to deal with the impact of the Automic Bombs that were dropped on them. They live with danger each and every day with regular earthquakes but have built their cities up strong just like their people.
Look how stoic these people are - look at their bearing in such devastating cercumstances - how do they manage to still look so clean and smartly dressed and even when talking about what has happened they still manage to find a smile for you.
It is only when we have suffered that we find the strength to be stronger and to become a better person - without loss, how can we ever know what is gain. Without tears, how would we know the true value of happiness. Without injury - how can we know wellness. Without Hate how can we Know Love.
But those who have never lost or gone without those of us who have never worked hard for the things in life we treasure - how can we value these things that are handed to us on a plate - I tell you how - WHEN THEY ARE GONE!

Only then can we truly appreciate what we have and sadly many people will not see this until they are Old and have Lost their Youth and are dependent on the young for their well being.

It is all about the evolvement of the Soul - What is it they say "Life is wasted on the Young"

I cry for these Proud Strong Brave People and Pray that they will find a way to rise up from the Ashes and start again - to pass on their experiences to the young and instill in them the strength that endures always. And I pray that the young won't give it away and lose a treasure that has been founded on many tears - a treasure that cannot be replaced without someone else pays for it and pays dearly.

Perhaps - I know it won't be in my life time - humanity will come together one day and find the strength that the Japanese People are presenting to the World.

Originally posted by nonnez
reply to post by LoveSoldier

 

That is a VERY good point. I think many, including myself at times, have lost touch with not only our emotion but ultimately with our humanity. We have been preconditioned to the point of indifference for what is happening around us, at least until we are hit in the face with it . . . maybe this is the wake-up that so many speak of?

edit on 16-3-2011 by nonnez because: new thought

I have wondered that myself at times...

hi there,

yea, i feel the same... people's apparent apathy, lack of empathy & compassion, have always bugged me in general anyway... but i know there are many beautiful, caring souls out there

i've always had this idea that many people seem to be able to turn their real conscience on & off, as & when it suits

i don't mean to sound self-righteous here - we all have to think of ourselves as we struggle to keep out heads above water in life...

we can become so overwhelmed by the suffering of other people, animals, ecosystems & our planet

i think that strong feelings of helplessness, can adversely affect peoples ability to take on board tremendous suffering, as it can be so detrimental to our functioning... it's almost like some can only accept snippets of news & the reality of what's happening outside their own bubble & region of the country/world - then back to their bubble... like a form of emotional damage-limitation

the heartlessness of some ATS members over the past few days (towards the japanese people) has gotten to me - it struck me again that we need a little time out, when events or callous people get to much to cope with

i ended up creating my first ever thread, based on how some members were reacting to events (mainly those panicking, getting depressed, or paranoid) - the importance of levity & humour in stressful times... i needed time out myself... it was clear others did, but maybe had become too involved & forget their minds need a little respite

it's important to recoup & conserve emotional & physical energy after sustained stress & upset

seeing iAnjo's courage & fortitude in his thread, while stuck in japan unable to leave, also had me crying

i've got about 100 chilean facebook friends, & about 200 others around the world... & tbh, going by the quality of their posts etc, most of them seem very caring... when chile had the earthquake, i was terrified for them & couldn't sleep cos many were around santiago, but thankfully they were all ok

it's hard knowing some people don't give a damn about anyone but themselves... but it helps us value all the more, those we know who are the exact opposite, & that there are, in fact, many others like them out there

i agree - better to be upset & view the world with a conscience, than be a happy-egocentric

take care

When I told them why, I was met with completey blank looks. It didn't even register on their faces. These were nurses. Parents. People. They simply didn't care or didn't allow themselves to care. Absolutely no empathy.

Empathy. The capacity to recognize and share feelings of hapiness or sadness of another person. To care. To love.

Westcoast

Never go by appearances again then. If I am not in the mood, I will put up an emotional wall and guard my emotions well beneith it. When I am in that security-minded mood : I do not want strangers guessing at me; I don't want to identify with what I am hearing; I am politely biting my tongue or am losing blood not saying something; I couldn't care less; I could care more than you ever know. It could be any of those, but I certainly owe no-one any explanation save to myself, and those I might actually answer to. I'm in my own face, mind, and body ... what empathy were you expecting from a stoic who guards his feelings well, would rather twitch an eyebrow than break a grin at times, and is instead emphatic to the over-riding scene and is staying alert? Perhaps your comment meant absolutely nothing to the people involved, or was registered kindly and just as kindly passed off. It goes to show you really never can tell !

With all due respect, don't expect empathy from strangers who have no reason to complicate thier lives. Maybe you looked like trouble lol

reply to post by LoveSoldier


The odd thing is I can be very analytical, blow my professors away, pile up A's, etc. Obviously i'm not usually emotionally involved in acedemic settings unless the topic is someting dear to me.

Motivation is generally my greatest challenge, one that I struggle to overcome constantly (helps that I'm finally close to graduation). One thing I'm extremely motivated in doing is attempting to make sense of the world and learn all I can. When I start researching something for my own personal interest, I get lost in it for hours on end.

Of course I'm not ashamed to be emotional, in fact I feel blessed to be experiencing life fully as a human being should. I wish it were the case for our unfortunate friends on psychotropic drugs that dull the senses.

reply to post by Northwarden


to expect empathy is to not understand it, I think it was more of a stricken observation on his part.

reply to post by TWINCPONE


Oh, yes I was not trying to convey any lack of analytical ability in you at all. It is evident that you must have a mind for it if you are looking for it in the first place. Anything that makes you happy will pull you out of your body and time I have noticed (seriously, think of the times you were happy compared to when you were sad. Then think of your relation to to space and time for both)
Campus' usually focus on left brain development more than right, our entire society if you think of it values IQ (or being right) while most people don't even know what EI is.
I find this a bit unsettling, but I am an optimist with a cause, that's happiness in itself.
Many of us go through the same problems, I can compare with your troubles of psychoactives...firsthand.

I have noticed a lot of my friends who will immediately change the subject at the slightest mention of any of the disasters that are happening around the world .

Sometimes it is just too big and overwhelming to put the crisis into perspective.
so the mind protects itself by limiting it's intake of the situation .

Our world is now!!! changing right before our eyes and this change is being forced upon us... whether we like it or not.


when tears do come they help us to wash away our fears of change ...

It may sound repugnant and I'm sure I'll get flamed, but I truly don't care. I'll look out for my family and a handful close friends when needed, but anyone else is fair game. In my opinion that's how it's supposed to be: no paper currency, no being born into wealth, no illusions of power, just your own ingenuity/ruthlessness. I'm praying for a SHTF scenario where the U.S. just absolutely collapses into chaos. Living, killing, and dieing in that uncertain, terrifying, and unbridled brutality is my biggest fantasy.

But on the other side of the coin, I'd join any type of resistance, armed or otherwise, to destroy the ridiculous system that currently oppresses us all. The rapid dog mentality I'm saving for the possibility of a 'no future' scenario.

reply to post by HADOUKEN


Thanks. I agree. Unless you want to go help with the efforts quit worrying, we will do this on our own soil soon. I think we are just consumed with the events of the rest of the world because nothing ever happens here, which is good.

But I got bad news!!!

DOOM!

It's coming here soon and just look at the geological survey californias next.

PS Im not talking about nuclear fallout, I am talking about ring of fire, then san andreas fallout, into the ocean.

Not only that but the chaos in the middle east is going to spill over and we will have a bit of our own chaos to deal with. I also forgot to mention that everything is multiplying now so it will happen sooner and faster than you all think and you will look back at Japan and think that its disneyland.

reply to post by LoveSoldier
ore]

I did not mention psychoactives in relation to myself and any problems. But that was a very good guess on your part.

I've read articles on studies in which the hypothesis is confirmed that more intelligent people are more likely to use/abuse drugs. While the definition of intelligence can be subjective (my best friend is a HS dropout, who may not be the most eloquent (neither am I) , but nonetheless is actually quite astute ), I can attest to this theory to being generally accurate, anecdotally. Some like myself would speculate that it is in part because of a sense of loneliness/hopelessness due to being unable to relate to most people in one's environment, that environment being the American educational system and the debased culture more generally speaking. And then being unable to cope with this well.

I can certainly relate to you if this is similar to your case; it's not a very constructive solution but hey, you have to learn somehow, and experience is irreplacable when it comes to learning hard lessons.