Kim Macdonald: How to give grief purpose in the aftermath of Bondi tragedy as we suffer ‘weltschmerz’

The Germans have a word for it: weltschmerz. Directly translated, it means world pain, and it describes a sadness caused by awareness of global suffering. It is the emotional ache — an almost existential empathy — that arises from recognising the vast amounts of pain and injustice across the planet. While many people tend to feel this way at Christmastime anyway, it is now a growing lump in our collective throats as we confront the Bondi Beach massacre. Confusingly, the vicarious trauma we are suffering from the Bondi tragedy mingles in our minds with the joy we feel at Christmas and the roll out of happy family events and work parties as well as the delight of watching children’s sheer excitement. How do we manage to balance these two aspects of our lives right now? What is right and respectful? How do we honour the victims and the Jewish community’s pain without collapsing under it? How do we manage our anger at terrorism, and what has happened in our country, without getting consumed by it? It involves a juggling act I have been doing for a long time. When I was 18, I stood outside Dachau concentration camp in Munich and read a memorial quote that said those who don’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it. I vowed to heed the advice, and to bear witness to others’ suffering rather than turn a blind eye, in the hope I might be able to do something useful with that knowledge. So like many others, I am unable to just gloss over the Bondi tragedy as I make tracks to the adult eggnog table. I would not advise people how to manage their competing emotions this Christmas but experts remind us that it is important to acknowledge what we are feeling, but to limit news exposure if it starts to get too much. As public thinker and physician Gabor Mate often points out, lack of boundaries is not generosity — it is self-abandonment. It is important to remember that some lighter Christmas moments are key to maintaining balance, because our nervous system is not designed to bear the weight of the world’s suffering. Introspection can help help to process a tragedy, but it tends to become counterproductive when it turns into rumination. For me, any sense of helplessness that I feel under the weight of weltschmerz can be overcome by committing to an embodied act to make the world a little better. That is, rather than thinking or talking about how terrible the world is, choose one action — any small action — that will make it a little better. It need not be related to the Jewish community. Perhaps it could be volunteering at a soup kitchen or an animal shelter. Maybe, it is helping an elderly neighbour clean their home, teaching someone a new skill or mentoring a younger person. Maybe it is saying sorry to someone or accepting an apology. Landlords could follow the lead of Bassendean MP Dave Kelly by offering a week of free rent to tenants. Or if your tenants don’t have air-conditioning, give them the gift of comfort this Christmas by putting in a system. There are many ways we can be more generous when it comes to other people’s suffering and these acts can help to transform weltschmerz from paralysis into purpose. History is littered with examples of tragedies which have helped to transform societies in some unexpected ways. Natural disasters like the 2011 Tohuku earthquake led to a surge in aid networks and volunteering while Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 strengthened community social justice groups among marginalised populations. The 2019 mosque attacks in Christchurch New Zealand led to widespread public solidarity with Muslim communities and an increase in interfaith discussions and inclusion efforts. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in New York there was a spike in volunteering, community support networks and blood donations. Sydney has already broken every Australian blood donation record in the wake of the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, with some people waiting in line for hours to donate blood to victims of the Bondi tragedy. “Unbreakable Bondi” is also emerging as a catch-phrase on social media, as locals vow that terrorism will not break them or change their way of life. Feeling joy this Christmas does not betray those who suffer. In fact, your joy, compassion and — most importantly your determination to make the world better — is what it needs right now. If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.