Episode 49 - General Grant & Compassion Fatigue
Numbers make us numb. But how big does a death count have to get before our eyes glaze over? What’s the optimum number of victims to make us care?
After a year of Covid lockdowns the news media hasn’t gotten tired of running pandemic stories. Probably because, according to Deadline, television watching has spiked during peak quarantine months. Yet our ability to feel compassion for one another, and to focus on relief bills, seems to have remained discerning bordering on stagnant. So on this episode of The Re-Engineered You we want to look into Compassion Fatigue. A well-documented phenomenon wherein numbness sets in as the death toll or victim count rises. We explore how many victims it takes before we check out, mentally. How other creatures besides humans feel compassion. And how exactly does compassion for one’s fellow man die - at the personal level, corporate level, and political level.
We’ll also discuss a critical moment in history when a depressed alcoholic butcher of a battle general sat down at the peace table, and did something nobody expected. He showed compassion, in a way that made his opposition want to believe in the possibility of peace, and in a united America.
History Links:
https://www.nps.gov/apco/the-meeting.htm
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-robert-e-lee-and-ulysses-s-grant
https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-2017/ron-chernow-interview.html
https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Poverty_and_Poor_Relief_During_the_Civil_War
https://www.history.com/news/ulysses-s-grant-president-accomplishments-scandals-15th-amendment
Science Links:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/denying-the-grave/202011/covid-19-and-compassion-fatigue
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-10-mn-9038-story.html
https://www.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=the-truth-about-animal-grief