(installation along Mexico border by artist JR)

We are experiencing a crisis of metrics.

We look at facts, numbers and statistics so long that we lose sight of the humans that embody those figures. We explain our actions away under the guise of “the way things have been done” and abdicate responsibility in order to follow protocol.

This idea dominates the current dialogue across a broad range of issues, yet nothing is more palpable than the situation unfolding along the southern border of the United States. Families are being ripped apart in an effort to show what “zero-tolerance” really looks like and how one country plans to fix immigration. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.

In my opinion, the problem isn’t policy. The problem is our own inability to recognize the humanity of the situation and the humanity in ourselves. A lack of empathy is at the root of this issue and nearly every other that plagues our global community.

We simply aren’t choosing to SEE other people.

This same notion is why I started my work in the first place. I initially participated in systems of international aid that operated from a position of knowing the “facts” surrounding global poverty. Well-intentioned programs setting out to cure poverty were leaving vulnerable people groups stripped of their dignity and with no path toward independence.

Myself and some friends were fortunate enough to build relationships with the people who made up the statistics surrounding global poverty. We came to understand the things we shared in common — the aspirations of providing for family and the chasing of dreams — and this changed us.

Moving from a process of fixing an issue to understanding an issue is a long and arduous journey. In many instances, we won’t see that journey conclude in our lifetime. However, what we can do now is to help those around us grow in our collective empathy. We can earnestly try to put ourselves in the shoes of others and begin to build solutions from that point of view.

Recognizing the humanity in ourselves will help us to recognize the humanity in others.

Let’s be more human, please.

If you are looking for ways to take action on the inhumane policies taking place along the Mexico border, I found this article and its aggregation of organizations very helpful.