Empathy

It's strange how much significance the work we are doing here in New Orleans has taken for me, personally, just days into the trip. At first, that doesn't seem surprising. After all, it seems to be a fairly common experience. People oftentimes report that only when they embark on particular service projects do they begin to appreciate the seriousness of their work. Normal as it seems, though, I began to think about it a lot more today. Why does the condition of the people in New Orleans matter so much to me now? After all, I was well aware of their plight prior to the trip, in fact, even before my decision to do anything Magnolia Project-related. The conclusion I came to was this - In order to empathize with people, we have to be able to put ourselves in their position. Once we can imagine ourselves undergoing the same harsh experiences that they have had to encounter, we understand that their treatment is unjust and thus are mobilized to do what we can to ensure that it does not occur again in the future. This is why two particular experiences - the man discussing how he was kicked out of the projects in which he was living, and the talk given to me by two restaurant owners who were left with nothing following the storm - were the most meaningful for me personally. I came to appreciate the extent of their suffering because they personally relayed their thoughts and stories to me.

Upon coming to this conclusion I realized that (in my mind, at least) it highlighted why our work here was so important. Even if the physical work we do here doesn't do an incredible amount towards eradicating the horrific experiences of New Orleans residents over the past year and a half (a conclusion which is obviously, far from given) the impact that our immersion in the area will have on our consciousness, that is, our awareness, makes the experience well worth it. We will return home not only ourselves appreciating the extent of the damage done in New Orleans (as opposed to the way it is commonly portrayed in the news media), but we will be motivated to inform others of the situation. We will also be better equipped to combat our complacency towards other conditions of human suffering. Armed with the knowledge that we don't care (or care not nearly enough) only because our contact with those events is not immediate, we will surely, be cognizant of the fact that we can put ourselves in the position to care.

Simply put, we can make it matter to us. That is, ultimately, the most comforting thing of all.

Hirsh Jain