A Critical Moment for Reflection

This past month, a massive deluge of rain and melting snow from a bomb cyclone has caused unprecedented flooding across the midwest. In Nebraska alone, more than $1 billion in damages have been reported with more than 2,000 homes and 340 businesses lost. 

Because of this, Nebraskans are currently feeling an extreme empathy for our neighbors affected by the flooding.

Although this empathy will drive much of the rebuilding process for Nebraskans in the coming months it’s also time for a moment critical reflection that this kind of insecurity and human experience happens all over and happens not just because of natural disasters but by man made disasters too.

Over history, psychology has proven that it’s easier for humans to empathize with other humans who look like us and act like us, thus the relief efforts, but the flooding also serves as an opportunity for us to feel first hand how other’s feel around the world and the reality they face. Globally, millions of people are escaping their homes because of everything from hurricanes to genocide to war to domestic violence.

So yes, we’re going to help out our neighbors today because we are #nebraskasrtrong and it’s easy for us to share our solidarity with each other but it’s also an opportunity to look beyond our community and beyond our borders. What can we do to remove the differences in our mind between our current climate refugee neighbors and the refugees that exist world wide, regardless of what they are escaping?

Let’s remember that when we have these feelings of empathy towards our neighbors we can also share that same empathy with our global family. There is no us and them. This has hit home and it stings and loss is so damn real. What lessons can be found here that will live far beyond the flooding? 

We can make our feelings a true, real and tangible force in the world if we let our compassion abound.  There’s no limitation to love and we can love more than we ever thought we could/ There’s no limitations that Nebraskans can show for each other and for our our state and for our planet. This is the journey that we are on together.