So depressed with humanity

[NextElement]

Lately I’ve been watching videos of protesters in the Ukraine… They attack riot police and beat them senseless and proceed to carry their bodies away while the other policemen run. They throw Molotov cocktails and set the police on fire, and their faces are all burned and disfigured… And all I could think about was how those policemen had families and dreams, and now their lives are ruined or even over. And what’s even worse, is that the people commenting just laugh or say that they wish they had a chance to do that to cops.

I just feel like I’ve lost all hope in humanity. How could humans do terrible stuff like this to other humans?! It makes me want to cry just thinking about it. I used to have an optimistic view of the world and people, and if knew this stuff happened, but these latest videos have really hit me hard and woken me up to the (what seems like) pure evil of humanity.

I don’t know what to do.

 

[ishabayle]

I understand and I feel for you. I tend to get depressed about the evil condition of human beings. What helps me is to put myself in their shoes. If I were in their situations in that specific moment in time, would I have really done differently? Ideally, I think, “I would have prayed for these people”, but realistically, I must remember that I have flaws just like those people, and I do have free will that I could use to sin. Also, even when people are being nasty and descending into the subhuman, Jesus loves these people all the same. He loves the saints and the satanists the same amount. As disciples of Christ following His mission, we are called to love every human being. You are allowed to not like them haha. I will be asking the Blessed Mother’s intercession for clemency among the wars. Pray with me! And I know how hard it is to love, it is probably the sin that I struggle with the most. Praying for you

 

[Pat_Albertson]

I can’t remember exactly which Screwtape Letter it was, but I’m pretty sure it was in between and inclusive of Letters 11 to 19 because those are the ones I listened to this evening, and I know I heard it this evening. What was mentioned there was to keep one’s thoughts on either Eternity and God, or on the present and how much you are charitably doing for others. Perhaps you could look around your own community and see who you could help. I am supposed to do something like that myself because of an act of penance that Father gave me last Saturday at the end of confession*. Much of despair often has to do with a focus on the past or the future, and not the present or Eternity.

The other thing I might suggest is simply to exercise some self-censorship and self-control. If you strongly suspect that something will plunge you into the depths of despair, you should avoid it just as someone who consistently fails to be chaste should make extra efforts to stay away from porn or other occasions of sexual sin.

I know that that isn’t quite as satisfying as saying to oneself that you are so strong that you can read or view anything, but we have to come to grips with our actual strengths and weaknesses and try to live accordingly.

Other than that, I would suggest that you pray for the people you saw get hurt and the people who made cruel comments, and try not to watch such things in the future.

*Given the way I subjectively feel about how much my state of grace from last weekend has ebbed away already, I probably ought to confession again this coming Saturday too.

 

[CompSciGuy]

I can definitely sympathize with you. What you’ve seen is an example of the worst side of humanity. However, we have the ultimate example of the best side of humanity: our Lord, the virgin Mary, and the saints. Look to the extraordinary acts of charity by saints like John Bosco and others, look at the beautiful things that good people have done. Let this bring you hope.

 

[CompSciGuy]

I understand and I feel for you. I tend to get depressed about the evil condition of human beings. What helps me is to put myself in their shoes. If I were in their situations in that specific moment in time, would I have really done differently? Ideally, I think, “I would have prayed for these people”, but realistically, I must remember that I have flaws just like those people, and I do have free will that I could use to sin. Also, even when people are being nasty and descending into the subhuman, Jesus loves these people all the same. He loves the saints and the satanists the same amount. As disciples of Christ following His mission, we are called to love every human being. You are allowed to not like them haha. I will be asking the Blessed Mother’s intercession for clemency among the wars. Pray with me! And I know how hard it is to love, it is probably the sin that I struggle with the most. Praying for you

I am afraid that acknowledging that we too are capable of such things does not make us feel any better about humanity, just worse about ourselves…

 

[Petaro]

These examples of man’s inhumanity to man has echoed throughout the ages. I was brought up on the evils of Nazi Germany and the horrors of the holocaust.
I really lost the ability to expect any good from anyone when I was very young, educated by the infamous Christian Brothers; a fat asthmatic in a nation interested only in sport; famous for coming last in every race at school; and fighting against ill health most of my life.
I have a wonderful wife and son, but keep my affection to very few people and laugh when my wife expresses disappointment at the behaviour of friends or neighbours.

My cynicism has served me well in my profession as a lawyer and I continue to expect nothing of others. I do them no harm and do what acts of charity I can for Jesus’ sake. I have not lost the compassion I have always felt for others. But as for expecting any care in return, forget it. I just continue to call on the mercy of God shown by so few of his creation.

 

[ready]

Lately I’ve been watching videos of protesters in the Ukraine… They attack riot police and beat them senseless and proceed to carry their bodies away while the other policemen run. They throw Molotov cocktails and set the police on fire, and their faces are all burned and disfigured… And all I could think about was how those policemen had families and dreams, and now their lives are ruined or even over. And what’s even worse, is that the people commenting just laugh or say that they wish they had a chance to do that to cops.

I just feel like I’ve lost all hope in humanity. How could humans do terrible stuff like this to other humans?! It makes me want to cry just thinking about it. I used to have an optimistic view of the world and people, and if knew this stuff happened, but these latest videos have really hit me hard and woken me up to the (what seems like) pure evil of humanity.

I don’t know what to do.

Do not put your hope in humanity, but in GOD. Focus on God and on Heaven and pray zealously and often. Make reparation to God for sin. God bless you.

 

[Catherine_S]

Think on the* Cross of Christ + Easter Resurrection***… He is close to you, He understands, and Grace will help you with the "Why" as you journey
on in faith!
***Shalom, ***
:hug1:

 

[mountee]

You say you don’t know what to do and I can empathize with that feeling. Watching the inhumanity is devastating and it is happening in so many ways all around the world. But, we do have the opportunity to pray. Sometimes that is difficult but it is what we can and should do. I will be praying, as I always do, that God will heal this world.

 

[ready]

There will never be Paradise on earth, at least not until the world is completely destroyed by fire and made new after the end of the world. Our world is one big vale of tears governed by the Prince of this world, Satan. Heaven is our homeland and the only place we should live for and hope in. A person will be greatly disappointed if he has high hopes for humanity, a great portion of which is living in apostasy. At the end of the world will Jesus Christ find any Faith? He Himself even asked this question!! God bless you.

 

[tawny]

Lately I’ve been watching videos of protesters in the Ukraine… They attack riot police and beat them senseless and proceed to carry their bodies away while the other policemen run. They throw Molotov cocktails and set the police on fire, and their faces are all burned and disfigured… And all I could think about was how those policemen had families and dreams, and now their lives are ruined or even over. And what’s even worse, is that the people commenting just laugh or say that they wish they had a chance to do that to cops.

I just feel like I’ve lost all hope in humanity. How could humans do terrible stuff like this to other humans?! It makes me want to cry just thinking about it. I used to have an optimistic view of the world and people, and if knew this stuff happened, but these latest videos have really hit me hard and woken me up to the (what seems like) pure evil of humanity.

I don’t know what to do.

Keep praying for peace in our world & the respectful treatment of all humanity.

 

[Christy_Beth]

These examples of man’s inhumanity to man has echoed throughout the ages. I was brought up on the evils of Nazi Germany and the horrors of the holocaust.
I really lost the ability to expect any good from anyone when I was very young, educated by the infamous Christian Brothers; a fat asthmatic in a nation interested only in sport; famous for coming last in every race at school; and fighting against ill health most of my life.
I have a wonderful wife and son, but keep my affection to very few people and laugh when my wife expresses disappointment at the behaviour of friends or neighbours.

My cynicism has served me well in my profession as a lawyer and I continue to expect nothing of others. I do them no harm and do what acts of charity I can for Jesus’ sake. I have not lost the compassion I have always felt for others. But as for expecting any care in return, forget it. I just continue to call on the mercy of God shown by so few of his creation.

Perhaps your cynicism has interfered with your life more than you realize. It could be keeping the mercy, grace and love from God from really changing your life IMHO I think it’s made you a hardened person who can’t receive all that. If you can’t receive it, then you can’t give it. You say you laugh at your wife when she expresses disappointment with the failures of others. That’s almost down right cruel. I’ll pray you have a change of heart on this matter.

 

[Petaro]

Perhaps your cynicism has interfered with your life more than you realize. It could be keeping the mercy, grace and love from God from really changing your life IMHO I think it’s made you a hardened person who can’t receive all that. If you can’t receive it, then you can’t give it. You say you laugh at your wife when she expresses disappointment with the failures of others. That’s almost down right cruel. I’ll pray you have a change of heart on this matter.

You may well be right. But my cynicism has protected me from others, not from God. I love others, but it is an act of the will. I offer what mercy as I had the power to offer. As an industrial lawyer working for the big mining companies, I saved many jobs and negotiated fair and honourable redundancy packages and used what power I had to protect the little man. I used my authority to stop the illegal use of employee’s superannuation funds. I countermanded stupid rules like requiring a death certificate to authorize paid leave for a man attending the funeral of his miscarriaged baby. or making an eight month pregnant woman stand all day as her position required that everyone stand at their post. I tried to find honour in all I did. I worked at St. Vincent de Paul centres for homeless men handing out the towels and soap for their showers and caring for them in the wet room when they were hopelessly drunk. I have taught english to Islamic refugees as I oppose their entry into the country and found this the best way to ask God forgiveness for such selfish thoughts. I have visited the hospices of the dying and taken groups of mentally retarded children out on trips to give respite for those beautiful nuns that cared for them 24/7.
I use my cynicism as a shield against the tragedy of our society.
Pray for me I need every prayer I can get, but understand that you cannot expect me to find compassion, justice or mercy in a fallen world.
I am in hospital now and have been for the last seven weeks. My wife and son visit me every day, but not one call otherwise. Thankfully I don’t feel sorry for myself as I don’t expect it. I rejoice that it is a Catholic hospital and I can receive Holy Communion every day. His compassion grace and mercy is all I need apart from the love of my wife and son.

 

[Pat_Albertson]

One other thing which I thought of after my first post in this thread: if you see cruel heartless posts by, say, “Russians” (Ukranian trolls) laughing at what happened to Ukranians, or “Ukranians” (Russian trolls) laughing at what happened to Russians, try to remember that these may be troll posts intended to repel the lurkers. Lurkers almost always outnumber posters by several times, so this is always a “good tactic”, a tactic meant to make the general public recoil at the crudity and cruelty of “Ukranians” or “Russians”. Some of the trolls, far from being mere partisans, may also be paid professionals. So, you ought to take what you see from “posters” with a grain of salt. And, far from there being a world where nobody sympathizes with your position, the opposite is probably the case, with many many people being repelled and revolted by what they see the posters saying. Unfortunately, it is probably the case that many of them won’t think of this, because if they did, then nobody would use this tactic.

Anyway, don’t attempt to argue with such “posters” but do attempt to avoid such videos and posters. Don’t give such trolls any of your attention, because that is the oxygen they breath.

If you want to know where a good place to point out the truth about such trolling is, it’s right here on CAF. You have done a good thing by starting this thread.

 

[LPS]

1. turn off the news - stop watching, stop reading. The world won’t end … it just goes on.
2. turn your focus to things above, to God, to prayer
3. remember that the ugliness is man (and sin) … but this world also has great beauty both in God’s creation, and also in surprising ways that God works through man.
4. become one of the beautiful ways God works through man. be His hands & feet, reflect Him to those around you in your own little corner of the world.

:grouphug:

 

[Christy_Beth]

You may well be right. But my cynicism has protected me from others, not from God. I love others, but it is an act of the will. I offer what mercy as I had the power to offer. As an industrial lawyer working for the big mining companies, I saved many jobs and negotiated fair and honourable redundancy packages and used what power I had to protect the little man. I used my authority to stop the illegal use of employee’s superannuation funds. I countermanded stupid rules like requiring a death certificate to authorize paid leave for a man attending the funeral of his miscarriaged baby. or making an eight month pregnant woman stand all day as her position required that everyone stand at their post. I tried to find honour in all I did. I worked at St. Vincent de Paul centres for homeless men handing out the towels and soap for their showers and caring for them in the wet room when they were hopelessly drunk. I have taught english to Islamic refugees as I oppose their entry into the country and found this the best way to ask God forgiveness for such selfish thoughts. I have visited the hospices of the dying and taken groups of mentally retarded children out on trips to give respite for those beautiful nuns that cared for them 24/7.
I use my cynicism as a shield against the tragedy of our society.
Pray for me I need every prayer I can get, but understand that you cannot expect me to find compassion, justice or mercy in a fallen world.
I am in hospital now and have been for the last seven weeks. My wife and son visit me every day, but not one call otherwise. Thankfully I don’t feel sorry for myself as I don’t expect it. I rejoice that it is a Catholic hospital and I can receive Holy Communion every day. His compassion grace and mercy is all I need apart from the love of my wife and son.

I have to say that I really feel sorry for you. Your attitude keeps you from knowing the greatness of God’s mercy and love. Sure, you do some acts of mercy by helping others. But does this ever make you feel better about life? That maybe there’s hope for these people you are helping? Are you just doing this stuff, or are you allowing God to work through you for the best in all people? You’ve thrown up a wall which blocks things going both ways. You can’t give God’s love because you made darn sure you couldn’t receive it. I’ll pray that you get out of the hospital soon, and that you drop your guard enough to see the beauty in the human race. Sure, there’s tragedy, but there’s also beauty. Open your eyes and look for it. And stop doing what you think you are suppose to do, and start doing what God calls you to do.