Long Life Short Stories By Darcel Dillard-Suite
Long Life Short Stories By Darcel Dillard-Suite
Choosing Compassion in an Age of Suspicion
A profound encounter at a pharmacy reveals how fear has overtaken faith in our daily interactions, changing how we see and treat each other. By choosing faith over fear, we can rediscover compassion and connection in a world that profits from our suspicion.
• Observation of an elderly Hispanic woman struggling with ID at CVS reveals deeper fears about belonging and judgment
• Fear has become our default mode, causing us to build invisible walls and assume the worst about others
• Real concerns exist—economic struggles, political instability, rising costs—that justify some caution
• Faith isn't naive optimism but choosing to believe people are doing their best despite circumstances
• Grandmother's wisdom: "You can't control what people do, but you can control how you show up"
• Challenge to consider which story we tell ourselves: fear's narrative of judgment or faith's possibility of connection
• Showing up with faith is an act of rebellion in a world profiting from our fear and division
Remember that we're all just trying to get our medicine, prove we belong, and make it home safely. Choose faith over fear, one moment, one story, one life at a time.
#STAYSTRONG #STAYSAFE #STAYYOU!
Hey there, storytellers, welcome back to Long Life Short Stories, where we dive into those moments that make life well life. I'm Darcelle Dillard-Sweet. Today I want to talk about something that's been weighing on my heart lately this dance we're all doing between fear and faith. I was at the pharmacy the other day CVS and I watched this elderly Hispanic woman fumble through her purse trying to find her real ID, her driver's license, just to buy some cough syrup. The person behind her was sighing and checking her watch and pacing back and forth and clearly annoyed. But what struck me was the look in her eyes not just embarrassment, but this deeper fear the fear of being detained, maybe fear of not being believed, that she belongs here, fear that, even though she's American, that someone might not believe her. And I thought when do we become so quick to judge, so ready to assume the worst about each other? When does something as simple as buying medicine become loaded with all these fears about proving who we are? It seems like, everywhere I look, fear has taken the driver's seat Fear of being hurt, fear of being wrong, fear of letting our guard down. We've built these invisible walls around ourselves and we're all walking around like we're bracing for impact. But here's the thing about fear it's a terrible storyteller. It only knows one script, one plot Everything's dangerous. Everyone's out to get you Trust no one. That's the script of fear. But faith, oh faith, tells a different story. Faith whispers that the person struggling with their ID might just be having a hard day Not trying to cheat the system. Faith suggests that maybe the impatient person behind them is rushing to get medicine for their own sick child at home. Faith sees the pharmacy clerk who waits patiently, understanding that dignity costs nothing but means everything to all of us.
Speaker 1:I've been thinking about how we got here to this place, where our first instinct is suspicion instead of compassion. Maybe it's the constant stream of bad news that makes us feel like the world is falling apart. Maybe it's social media algorithms that feed us anger, because it keeps us scrolling and scrolling. Maybe it's just easier to assume the worst, because then we can't be disappointed at all. And let me be clear some of our fears are justified. There are real struggles, real dangers, real reasons to be cautious. People are worried about their jobs, their safety, their children's future. Democracy feels so very fragile. Democracy feels like it's unraveling, but the cost of everything keeps going up, while paychecks stay the same or, in some instances, are shrinking. These aren't imaginary threats, my friends. They're the weight we're all carrying in some form or another.
Speaker 1:But here's what I've learned in my years on this earth Faith isn't naive optimism. It's not pretending that bad things don't happen or that everyone has pure intentions. Faith is choosing to believe that most people are doing their best with what they have, even when the world feels genuinely unsafe. It's giving someone the benefit of the doubt, even when you're not sure they deserve it, and that takes real courage, my friends. In times like these, I remember my grandma used to say hey, baby, you know you can't control what people do, but you can control how you show up. Now I'll be honest. Some days that feels almost impossible, when the world feels like it's spinning out of control. But showing up with faith, choosing to see humanity even when it's hard to find, that's an act of rebellion in a world that profits from our fear. So we have to show up. So here's my challenge for you, storytellers Whether you're in line at the pharmacy watching someone struggle, or you're reading the news wondering how we'll get through another crisis, or you're looking at your kids and worrying about the world they're inheriting.
Speaker 1:What story will you tell yourself? Will it be fear's story, full of judgment and assumptions and worst case scenarios? Or will it be faith's story, one that sees the possibility for connection, for change, for hope, even in the darkness? Because at the end of the day, we're all just trying to get our medicine, prove we belong and make it home safely, and maybe, just maybe, if we start seeing each other that way, we can remember what kindness still looks like. Faith over fear. Let's choose faith. Thanks for listening, storytellers. Until next time, keep believing. One moment, one story, one life at a time. I'm Darcella Dulles-Sweet, signing off. Ciao.