The Diana Effect?
On a main railway line into London there is an old piece of graffiti on a railway bridge. Sprayed onto the blackened bricks, in a white paint now faded with age, is the one word 'compassion?' It has clearly been there a long time, and you wonder whether the graffiti artist's question was ever answered. Is there, in fact, any compassion to be had?
Ten years ago I wrote my first Views on this website (See: The Queen of Hearts). It talked about the public outpouring of grief since the death of Diana Princess of Wales. It celebrated the homely compassion she had brought into public life, and asked the question as to whether we would be able to sustain it. 'Either our nation will be compassionless again, or we will have to supply that compassion for ourselves'. So, which was it?
Undoubtedly the streets have become meaner in the intervening ten years. A sea of flowers has blossomed in Croxteth for Rhys Jones, and young men flee from a shooting in a Hertfordshire town. The streets of London have quivered with shock after the July bombings in 2005 and gun and knife crime have reached unprecedented levels. In certain places the streets are nowhere near as safe as they used to be.
However, as is often the case, the worst of times bring out the best in people. Truly terrible events on the streets have brought real compassion and warmth from those around. Not only this, but tragedies in other parts of the world appear to provoke a more generous response than they did ten years ago. This may be part of the 'Diana effect' - the acceptability of compassion across the board, or it may just be symptomatic of greater global awareness.
With Diana, as with other iconic figures before her, we are inclined to exaggerate their importance. In actual fact, ten years is far too little time to assess her impact. Shortly after Jesus' death and resurrection the Jewish authorities met to discuss his impact on society.
A
wise man declared that if Jesus were a mere blip, his influence would soon die out. If, on the other hand, he were from God, it would be impossible to stop him and his followers
(Acts 5:33-39).
Twenty one centuries later the 'Jesus effect' is to felt on every continent on earth and it is still motivating people to make great sacrifices and endure real hardship for the sake of others.
Too much time spent studying the Diana effect is likely to reduce its impact. As with the Jesus effect, it is better acted upon than discussed. Are you more compassionate than you were ten years ago?
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