The below was written by my friend and mentor Matt Friedman. It reminded me that we deal with horrific things and need to remember that each of us reacts a bit differently.
Jerry Nelson
It is too sadSome individuals struggle to confront sad and distressing news, as well as the pressing social issues of our time, including human trafficking. After a talk I gave in Canada, one woman approached me and said:
“I didn’t like your talk. It made me feel sad and depressed. I wish I hadn’t come. The information you shared completely ruined my day. I don’t want to feel this way.”
Her sentiment is something I've frequently encountered in my talks over the years. Here are two other comments:
“When I think about all of the many problems faced by the world, it makes me cringe. I really don’t like to face them.”
“I change the channel whenever I see those kids on the TV in those poor countries. It breaks my heart to witness their suffering.”
To avoid dealing with these feelings, many people choose to ignore difficult social issues entirely.
I realized that this would be one of my biggest challenges after receiving feedback from dozens of people who read my yet-to-be-published book on the horrors of forced prostitution, "Captive Daughters". Many who started reading it found it difficult to continue past page 67, where a sex trafficking initiation scene unfolds.
Why? They get to this section and the content puts them off. They told me, “It’s too sad and depresses me. I don’t want to expose myself to something like this.”
So here you have someone who is sitting in their living room, on their couch, with the air conditioning on, a cup of coffee in hand, and they can’t even face words on a page. Imagine if one of us were on the receiving end of this problem. Shouldn’t such a horrific reality spur us to act?
I agree that the topic of human slavery is difficult. It showcases the worst aspects of humanity: rape, torture, abuse, pain, suffering, oppression, despair, and early death. There really is no way to soften this reality.
The same applies to all other global issues. Poverty, hunger, disease, and inequality are all harsh and challenging topics to confront.
To address these issues, we must understand, empathize, and act. We must be motivated to take action despite our discomfort. We must understand the disturbing facts and take action. More than 50 million slaves around the world are crying out: “Where are you?” We must respond to them.
Reflecting on the past, I've come to realize that those of us fighting against slavery may have inadvertently contributed to the problem. Our graphic information and messages may have alienated some individuals. A closed mind cannot help those who are suffering, leading to missed opportunities. We should consider offering a more subtle approach to raising awareness for those who would appreciate it.
We need to strike a delicate balance between informing people about the horrors of injustice while at the same time suggesting things they can do to help.
This is what I am trying to do in my posts.
Sometimes I don’t know what to say. Any suggestions?
hashtagmodernslavery hashtaghumantrafficking hashtagcompassion hashtaglove
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