Vacancy in Humanity

The other night, I heard a line in an old television series that perfectly captured what I’ve been feeling for months and especially these past few weeks. One of the main characters said, “The internet has created a vacancy in humanity.” That single sentence hit me like a lightning bolt.

I’ve been wrestling with heavy emotions, struggling to pinpoint what’s behind them. It turns out, it’s not just one thing—it’s a collection of “vacancies in humanity” that weigh on my heart and soul. These feelings are fueled by social media, news stories, and even conversations with others.

I’m a busy woman—I work, go to the gym, volunteer, and spend time with my husband and family. Yet I still carve out time to research and seek truth, something I’ve done my entire life. My thought process isn’t linear, but it always includes compassion and empathy. I give people the benefit of the doubt and try not to judge because everyone carries their own burdens. I’ve always believed in “live and let live.” But lately, it’s becoming harder to practice these values because compassion and empathy seem to be disappearing from humanity.  It feels like it’s suddenly acceptable to be openly cruel, openly judgmental, and openly hateful. There are so many different quotes out in the ether about history repeating itself. My question is why humankind always seems to repeat the worst parts. Why do we never learn from horrific past events? 

I feel deeply conflicted. It’s as if I’ve fallen into an Alice in Wonderland world—where logic and reason have been replaced by mystery and chaos. Nothing feels grounded in logic anymore, and that raises so many questions for me. Does human decency even need logic? Shouldn’t compassion, empathy, and kindness be innate?

Has compassion gone the way of VCRs and record players? Just a thought—turntables are making a comeback, so maybe caring for others can become cool again. Wouldn’t that be amazing?