Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I was listening this morning to my dharma teacher's livestream talk, and he addressed the suffering in the Unlraine, Darfur and the Sudan with helpful advice for me. He said we must bear witness and not blind ourselves in order to be more comfortable. The world is this place of suffering, but humanity can offer compassion instead of hate, and do what we can to cause these people caught up in war to be seen and hopefully helped. We've all got compassion fatigue, as he put it, but we should open our hearts wider, not close up. If we love humanity we have to see it clearly and honestly, not as we wish it was. When I think about suffering, I know there are events that we cannot change, like my daughter's death, and ones we can if we have the courage to turn and face the ugliness that our instincts push us to escape. I feel I have been doing a pretty good job of getting information in a non-judgemental and non-clinging way: by reading just what I need to and not dwelling on the sensational aspects of the news. I'm informed, but not addicted. I take time out to pray and rest my compassion on the victims. Images are incendiary, so I am careful with my intake. I strive to keep my heart open and my head clear and brave. It's a struggle, a new one every day.