#witnessing

Becoming aware of the intense suffering of billions of animals, and of our own participation in that suffering, can bring up painful emotions: sorrow and grief for the animals; anger at the injustice and deception of the system; despair at the enormity of the problem; fear that trusted authorities and institutions are, in fact, untrustworthy; and guilt for having contributed to the problem. Bearing witness means choosing to suffer. Indeed, empathy is literally 'feeling with.' Choosing to suffer is particularly difficult in a culture that is addicted to comfort--a culture that teaches that pain should be avoided whenever possible and that ignorance is bliss. We can reduce our resistance to witnessing by valuing authenticity over personal pleasure, and integration over ignorance. ↗

— Melanie Joy

#suffering #witnessing #anger

I think that witnessing ecological problems visible from space is one of the new and essential roles of astronauts. ↗

— Philippe Perrin

#ecological #essential #i #i think #new

In crises, the old is dying and the new has not been born. Hence, the revolts we are witnessing in Egypt and Tunisia, which may yet extend to other countries in the region, are full of uncertainties. ↗

— Jose Maria Aznar

#born #countries #crises #dying #egypt

Most people are fascinated to see someone play an instrument in an inspired way. We are moved by witnessing musical brilliance, and it was this notion that led me to purchase the GuitarTV domain 10 years ago. ↗

— Steve Vai

#brilliance #domain #fascinated #inspired #instrument

I seriously doubt I would ever have written the first story had I not been a lawyer. I never dreamed of being a writer. I wrote only after witnessing a trial. ↗

— John Grisham

#been #being #doubt #dreamed #ever

I just try to touch people's hearts in a way through skating, so they're not just witnessing a performance, they're feeling a performance and they're a part of it. ↗

— Scott Hamilton

#hearts #i #just #part #people

I feel like I'm witnessing the systematic destruction of a people's ability to survive. It's horrifying. ↗

— Rachel Corrie

#destruction #feel #horrifying #i #i feel

From tea parties to the election in Massachusetts, we are witnessing the single greatest political pushback in American history. ↗

— Marco Rubio

#american history #election #greatest #history #massachusetts

Think about it: virtually every atrocity in the history of humankind was enabled by a populace that turned away from a reality that seemed too painful to face, while virtually every revolution for peace and justice has been made possibly by a group of people who chose to bear witness and demanded that others bear witness as well. ↗

— Melanie Joy

#revolution #witnessing #love

You could grow up in the city where history was made and still miss it all. ↗

— Jonathan Lethem

#missing-out #new-york-city #witnessing-history #new-york-city