Don't it go to Show Ya Never Know

One thing that this family health crisis has taught me is empathy. It may sound strange that such a personal tragic event would make me re-evaluate the way I treat other people... but it really has.

Now, I don't want to sound preachy, cheesy, or overly-emotional, but it wasn't until I tapped into the cancer community that I realized the depth to which illness affects our society. Sadly, everyone may eventually have to deal with the sort of decisions that my family is making now; I just hope for all of my friends and family that it's in the most indirect manner possible.


Of course, that's not really a new revelation. What IS novel is the understanding that so many people around me are already battling these sorts of emotions every day. I suppose it was the typical 20-something sense of invincibility that blinded me. Life seemed so bright and great!

Finishing my last college paper and feeling on top of the world

Any tragedies I had witnessed in the past had not quite permeated my understanding; I had not considered how people live through that kind of experience.  As silly as this statement might be, I'm going to say it:  People don't deal with grief and deal with life separately; it's all integrated together. Sad people don't flee to an isolation chamber before standing behind you in line at the supermarket or talking to you on the phone. Part of being a member of the human race is interacting with people who could really benefit from patience and understanding.


The funny thing is that a lot of the people I know who are stressed about illness are silent about it. My students who are the most care-free are the ones who harass me about homework, grades, and my "unfair expectations." Quiet students will later mention that their father is in the hospital or their mother needs their help keeping their family business open. Some of them will never mention it at all. Now I keep that in mind when I write my policies for attendance and late papers (while still maintaining a vision of college as a place where adult responsibilities must be practiced)

Of course, none of this applies to plagiarism

It is my opinion that a sense of empathy and humanity can be helpful in all parts of life. I've found myself being more patient when I see someone feeling exasperated at the airport or racing across the pedestrian crossing milliseconds before the light turns. Who knows what they're dealing with? ALSO, how much more do I gain by forgiving their behavior and letting it go? I've got my own baggage to process.


I actually hope that every time I'm patient as someone shares their unhappy story of the day or irritates me without thinking that they'll understand when I need some introverted time to recollect my energy. Maybe when I accidentally brush them off when I'm deep in thought, they'll accept my apology later.  At a bare minimum, accepting the fact that we're all human has got to make this a better place.