How do you respond
when others suffer?
Watch our Truth in Two to find out (full text below).
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Picture Credit: Josh Collingwood, Snappy Goat
FULL TEXT
How does pain create any kind of benefit for people? Pitirim Sorokin, founder of Harvard’s sociology department, looked for an answer. He sought to explain how catastrophes of various kinds—wars, famines, pestilence—began other social forces. After exhaustive research, Sorokin’s conclusion was that religious revivals often begin in crisis. His 1942 book Man and Society in Calamity made this claim: The principal steps in the progress of mankind toward a spiritual religion and a noble code of ethics have arisen primarily under the impact of great catastrophes.
Great catastrophes can sometimes bring positive change. The principle may not make us feel better, but it should cause us to wonder how we should respond to catastrophe. Here I suggest five proper responses to the calamity of others:
- Shut up: Keep your pious platitudes to yourself
- Show up: Be with people who are hurting today, next week, next month, next year.
- Pay up: Take out your wallet and pay the tab, don’t think about it, just do it
- Stay up: Friend in pain can’t sleep, neither should you, darkness in the dark is double hard
- Keep up: Lose your schedule, routine, and expectations; your friends in crisis just lost theirs
Calamity brings unwanted change. Isaiah’s description of Jesus in Isaiah 53 makes plain that the greatest change agent in history “was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” The writer of Hebrews in chapter 2 explains Jesus took on flesh and blood, partaking of the same things as me. The greatest “catastrophe” in human history Jesus’ death on the cross for humanity’s sin gives us a way to bear up when catastrophe strikes. In the meantime, we stand silently next to those who have suffered calamity.
My Truth in Two series during Fall 2022 is a tribute to our son Tyler Micah. We lament his death while desiring to give voice to all who suffer in any way.
[This material is drawn from an article I wrote in 2013 titled, “Calamity.” A number of other articles have used the same words and ideas since and can be found by searching for “lament” at MarkEckel.com where you can also find a tribute to my son.]
Someone much wiser than me once said NOT to say things like, “Let me know how I can help,” to a suffering individual. That phrase simply adds burden to the one who doesn’t know if they will survive the crisis they’re living in. Your five responses are a great summary of what someone CAN DO without even asking permission. This is excellent. Thank you.
Much love, my friend.