Compassion Fatigue...and Geese.

It seems a weak attitude to claim to have ‘compassion fatigue’. It’s more like just a feeling of utter hopelessness.
My attitude to the injustices of offshore refugee detention camps -  and my incomprehension and sadness at the horrors of murderous conflicts persisting interminably in the world is not all that is tugging at my compassion and empathy.
 
There is also the horror perpetrated by Nigeria’s Boko Haram.
There’s South Sudan, Yemen, Turkey, Burundi…and on it goes.
And, what’s going on in the South China Sea??
And more…

Other situations, such as the facts that, today, 663 million people over our world are still denied access to clean water and 946 million people do not have proper sanitation.

AND……..We have enough food in the world to feed everyone and yet there are currently 750 million people going to bed hungry each night. That’s 1 in 9 people.
 
And climate change -  and the fact that some Australians don’t believe it’s happening (sigh!)…GLOBAL WARMING IS HAPPENING…and still we (we?) are planning to activate new coal mines!!!!
And, what about this: UK is showing us up on SOLAR POWER, of all things.​
Yep, you read that right. When it comes to large-scale solar production, rainy old UK is ranked No.3 in the world – while sunny Australia No.20. WTF?
 
Then there are the some more ‘local’ worries, such as: In Qld, since 2013, 1,000,000 hectares of trees have been cleared. The stronger tree protection laws we needed to help save the Great Barrier Reef have just been voted down by the Queensland Parliament.
 
And………..
On Aug 22 another young girl was abused and died in foster care.
 
And….. an elderly man was 'abused and tormented' in an aged care facility and reports show assaults on the elderly in nursing homes are increasing.
  
And, even animals are begging for attention and help, with petitions about dolphins needing freedom (instead of being kept in resort pools) and sheep and cattle are being mistreated in the live export trade.
Even chickens need compassionate people to put an end to the terrible treatment in battery farming.
 
And there’s more and more -  and more -  to worry about…
But it becomes overwhelming and, as much as I sign petitions and share facts on Face Book and Twitter and even occasionally send emails to politicians, it is more than taking my time; it is sapping my ‘empathy energy’ and getting me nowhere. AND it is not making a speck of difference.

Moral and ethical approaches to so many situations do not appear to be in the realm of most current parliaments – nor sizeable sections of our community.
To make a positive difference in any of these dilemmas is way beyond my capabilities - and I must accept that!
 
I have a need to step back for a while…to recharge my compassion gland and see if it’s still worth writing about the need for empathy and understanding.
 
Meanwhile…I’ve been for a drive …and then a walk… and found these geese to talk to.
They were cordial and totally non judgemental; being in their presence was a delight.
After that walk I felt more at peace about stopping worrying about the world and what it is becoming. 
As we finished our talk, the geese proceeded to gently eat grass in such a relaxed manner I wondered if perhaps we should all take advice from the animals.