RSS
Home
How can you help?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Yesterday I was really moved by the story of Monique Zimmerman Stein, a woman in
http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article1039722.ece
She is foregoing treatment for herself in order to save money so that her daughters can be treated for the same disease. The tragedy of such a thing happening in a country as rich as the United States angers me when the culprit is once again the health care system in this country. The complacency of some of our politicians & the opposition of others due to their “special interests” is appalling. Monique makes an excellent point that she wishes that members of congress & the health insurance company employees should have to walk in the shoes of those who have been put in these types of situation just for a day.
Last week I turned on CNN in the middle of a interview with a psychologist whose name I didn’t catch. They asked her what her diagnosis would be if the
There is no better example of the lack of empathy that is ailing this country, especially among members of congress than Eric Cantor’s callous treatment of Patricia Churchill at a recent town hall meeting. He told her she should advise her family member who is stricken with stomach cancer to seek the help of “charity groups.” In an interview afterwards, Patricia said that her family member would most likely not qualify for that type of program, which would have a waiting list in the first place.
Obviously the only thing that Mr. Cantor & his colleagues have any empathy for is the profits of the corporations that fund their campaigns. To suggest that the “American” thing for law abiding, tax paying citizens to do is to lose everything they have worked hard for their whole lives in order to pay outrageous medical bills so that insurance companies can make record profits is obscene. It is the center of the greed & corruption which is destroying the
Michelle Obama has spoken a great deal of the value of doing service work. Her critics attack her for that suggestion as though encouraging being of service to one’s community is somehow anti-American. However it’s not worth wasting time throwing pearls before swine as those who don’t support health insurance reform or any change to the current status quo for that matter. They get it, but they just don’t care. Those with hearts of stone don’t have the capacity for empathy. What is needed is action not criticism of the opponent.
This past year I have put a lot of energy into getting back on my feet after a long period of unemployment. Recently work has been slow which in the past would throw me into a panic as I still have a way to go. However this time I am using this time to work on my spiritual life & to assist where I can. I think that psychologist on CNN was right. The prescription for the recovery of the
A long time ago I when I was studying for my Master’s Degree in Psychology a fellow student asked why I was able to counsel others so effectively. I told her that what my instincts told me was that what everyone is looking for is someone who they can look in the eyes & know that person understands what they are going through. Several weeks later I read that very statement in Ram Dass’s book “How Can I Help” which was assigned reading for the class. (I read the assignments on my own time schedule).
Though not specifically I do have some understanding what it is like to be Monique Zimmerman Stein’s position. What it is like to be stuck with virtually no alternatives. Yesterday I contacted the reporter at the St. Petersburg Times who wrote the story on Monique. I can’t offer much in the way of money, but I can give something. I can also give of myself by making others aware of her plight by writing about her story. That helps me to activate my empathy. I feel it is important to help someone else as I have been helped by others and God during my last year of economic recovery.
I challenge you to find ways to activate your empathy too, to be the one that “understands.” It doesn’t have to involve giving money, it only has to involve giving unconditionally of yourself in some way just because it is the right thing to do.
If you would like to make a donation to help Monique, you may send to:
Monique Zimmerman-Stein
P.O. Box 7506
Wesley Chapel, FL
33545
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
