The outpouring of concern and compassion for the injured Buffalo Bills football player, Damar Hamlin, was sincere, overwhelming, and showed us what Americans can be at their best. HIs charity, which had a goal of $2,500, received more than $1 million in a matter of hours. Hopefully and prayerfully he will make a full recovery.
But by way of contrast, how much compassion, sympathy or empathy is given to the more than 100 people who die daily due to gun violence in this country? Or how much do we care about the 107,000 yearly deaths from drug overdoses? Or the approximately 45,000 who commit suicide? All of these types of deaths are really national epidemics. What are we doing about them? We are even seemingly accepting and getting nonchalant about upticks in our COVID-19 deaths.
At least we can make the effort to make things a lot better and more sane. Obviously it is easier for us to feel the pain and suffering of a single individual like Damar Hamlin than to care, really care, about the bleeding and dying crowd.
Roman Leverenz
Aliamanu
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