Has the conflict made you realize yr problems are nothing in comparison

That doesn't make them not problems.

In chronic pain communities, this sort of comparison is often derisively (and correctly so) termed "pain olympics". There's always someone worse off than you, significantly so. That doesn't mean you don't have problems, and it doesn't mean you don't deserve to have your problems taken seriously.

Nothing-burger! I love it. What a scope of events, what a huge and troubling conflict affecting millions who aren't me. They deserve so much, they deserve better. Me, little me, here, my problems are silly in comparison. So true.

_And_, _also_, I would add that engaging with my own problems creates room & energy needed to deal with those bigger problems. For me, for you, for the government of wherever.

I can do my little nothing-burger things, I can tackle my nothing-burgers, then I can send some money I made to a relief organization, or I can use my gifts to build something helpful that didn't exist before.

Personally I had big regrets after the 2014 conflict, and they involved wishing I had turned both inward and outward, with the inward efforts focusing on energy building & preservation as well as all the outward stuff everybody thinks is doing the "real work". We have to support ourselves, we are only human, and fortunately we can do both--work & create for ourselves, work & create for & with others.

The biggest thing it's made me realize is how weak my country (I'm not american) is. There is zero chance of us standing up the way Ukraine has, or of our leadership taking responsibility and leading the way Zelenskyy has. I know we may be getting a romanticized version though the media, but it's so far from what I think my country is capable of that I'm embarrassed and really am rethinking how we approach electing politicians.

I think its related, because the discourse ends up shifting to ridiculous and irrelevant problems, while we forget about and lose the ability to defend ourselves in even the most basic way.

no. Neither did the coronavirus pandemic or the 2016 election or anything else.

I believe we should be helping others as much as possible, regardless of the situation. But in order to help others you need to be satisfied yourselves at least to some extent. Depressed, miserable people don’t help anyone. Maintaining good health and fitness, minimizing stress, and getting your work done ensures you have time and energy you can devote towards selflessness.