We do not feed on other people's problems; we exercise humanity.

"We do not feed on other people's problems."
                                                                -Sadghuru-
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This is a statement that registered with me recently. Many knows I went through a tough time with my youngest daughter, Devin. I had joined a few Facebook groups for children and adults suffering from topical steroid withdrawal, and was desperate for any 'thing' or knowledge that would help ease her mind and our family's suffering. I soon realized that many of those who had suffered, or were caregivers of little ones who had suffered, were now profiting from the suffering of others. They sold promising 'all-natural' herbs, concoctions, pastes, and EVEN strategies to sleep-deprived mothers desperate for themselves or their child to return to some sort of normalcy. I was one of those mothers..... willing to purchase anything, at any cost. 

During my 5am workout session, these sounds vibrated my eardrums as I listened to an interview of Sadghuru, "We do not feed on other people's problems". It was something I couldn't shake, not only because I had known it, but because in the world of counselling that is basically what we do. How would I now reconcile what I planned on doing as a career with this new piece of information that convicted me?

While I still haven't figured that out yet, it has opened my eyes to seeing this happening in our world. The neighbor desperately needs her dog fed while she's away at an appointment, so you offer your son for $20 a day. Diabetes becomes an epidemic and the prices of insulin skyrocket, laws are put into place to ensure you must go to the doctor to get any supplies you might need ($$), and now individuals and companies doubling their prices for goods and food in the wake of our corona virus epidemic. It's a get-rich-or-die-morally-trying type of mentality, I suppose. 
It also exists on a different plane: gossip. The need to discuss others and their problems or business for the sake of making our morning commutes with friends, coffee, brunches, and evening margarita time more exciting or reality tv-like, or to just simply escape the need to deal with our own issues. We actively engage in feeding on the shortcomings and issues  of others we come in contact with daily or via television, internet, or radio. 
I don't claim to have all the answers, but the concept is worth looking further into as we evaluate our character and morals while we sit quarantined to our homes for the next few weeks. Instead of feeding, we could choose to practice humanity and morality when others are faced with a need that we can supply or assist in. 

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