What connection do Pamela Simon, Mavanell Stoddard, George Morris, Randy Gardner, James Fuller, Bill Badger, Ronald Barber, Susan Hileman, Mary Reed, Kenneth Dorushka, Kenneth Veeder and James Tucker have with William Shakespeare? The answer in a moment.
These names have faded from our collective memory until 2Gabby Giffords is mentioned. Along with Giffords, these people were wounded in the shooting in Tucson this past January. Six others died.
All the media attention has been focused on Giffords, largely due to her status as a U.S. Representative from Arizona. Her recovery and rehabilitation are remarkable and have been well-documented.
But what about the other victims? Don’t they deserve the same compassion and the same attention?
Perhaps some went to the hospital and were released the same day. Others may have had injuries as severe as Giffords, yet we hear nary a peep from the media.
Probably some would rather not have the attention, and perhaps Giffords and her husband feel the media spotlight directed their way to be a bit intrusive. But it does make good news copy.
Supposedly, the saying in journalism is, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Bad news does indeed sell.
If the media had paid more attention to the other Tucson shooting victims, it would not have detracted from the courage and dedication Giffords and her caregivers have shown.
This is not a zero-sum game. And who among us would tell a friend or family member that they’ve shown all the compassion, attention and mercy that they have for the day? There’s none left. Come back tomorrow when the compassion machine has been recharged.
Enter the Bard. The character of Portia in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” speaks those famous lines, “The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.”
In other words, kindness, mercy or compassion need not be rationed or forced. Within each of us, there is potentially an unlimited supply.
During this holiday season, our generosity may be challenged by all the appeals to our wallet. But while our monetary resources may be limited, we should never forget that our non-financial reserves are unlimited. In Portia’s words, they’re “not strained.”
What’s the source of this capacity for compassion? Is it a product of nature, or nurture, or both?
There are plenty of anecdotes on both sides of this issue, but one of the most striking was the relationship of Eduard Bloch, a Jewish physician of Linz, Austria and Adolph Hitler.
In 1908, Bloch treated Hitler’s mother who was suffering from terminal breast cancer. After she died, young Adolph expressed his gratitude for Bloch’s many kindnesses.
In 1938, when Nazi Germany annexed Austria, Bloch’s medical practice was closed by German authorities. Bloch wrote a personal letter to Hitler who put Bloch under the protection of the Gestapo. He was allowed to emigrate to the U.S. where he lived the remainder of his life.
Hitler was not known for his kindness to Jews, yet found compassion for a long-time friend of the family. What accounts for this?
We need not defend Hitler, nor find fault with the media’s failure to pay continued attention to the other Tucson victims. But one thing seems obvious: kindness, compassion and the simple caring for one another can be found in unlimited amounts, and sometimes in the most unusual places.
The world is better off when each of us taps into our personal reserves.
It’s one of the few things we can give and never lose.
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