Lately, many people are asking the same quiet question: How am I supposed to live my life while so much suffering is happening?

The world feels heavy, unpredictable, and morally charged, and “business as usual” can feel strangely wrong.

This internal tension is not a personal failing. It is a psychological response to prolonged exposure to global threat and visible human suffering.

Even when our own lives are relatively stable, constant exposure to war, political unrest, climate crises, and humanitarian suffering activates the brain’s threat system. The nervous system is not designed to distinguish between danger that is physically nearby and danger that is emotionally vivid or repeatedly witnessed. Over time, this creates chronic vigilance.

When people observe patterns of harm, exclusion, or dehumanization playing out publicly, the body registers risk. This happens even without direct personal impact. Humans evolved to monitor social........

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