We all have to be wondering what in the world is going on? The tragedies that have always plagued countries on the opposite side of the globe are now in our own proverbial backyards, on our college campuses, and in our cities. We no longer have the privilege of just hearing vague headlines on our lunch hour, and feeling a glint of compassion for those in the third world while we stand in line waiting for our lattes. Not only is the tragedy and turmoil hitting closer to home, but the news of tragedy and terror seem to be occurring more and more frequently. I know that some say that the world has always been this violent. They might say that in our present technological age news is constantly being streamed to our smart phones, and we are only more aware of the violence now. I have to disagree. Acts of violence seem to be increasing at an alarming rate. Mass shootings and terror attacks are becoming a norm on the 6 o’clock news. What is that doing to us? What will it do to us? Is there anything that we can do?
I can share with you, the readers, what it is doing to me, and what I fear it will, in time, do to us all. I think when our world started down this slippery slope and the calamity began to multiply, initially the lot of us lived in denial. These events were happening in foreign worlds where we don’t know the people, so it was easy to shake our heads in disbelief, and go about our day. Now here we are. In the last two weeks alone we have witnessed the coverage of families being slaughtered as they celebrated the end of Ramadan in Baghdad, the mass shooting of law enforcement in Dallas, Texas, which resulted in the deaths of five officers, and in the last 48 hours, the attack in Nice, France that killed 84 people at last report, 10 of those victims were children, and last night while we slept, a coup in Turkey which resulted in the death of almost 200. That is the last 14 days. Let’s look back over this last year…The calculated attacks in Paris which killed over 100, the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California just before Christmas, and then just last month dozens were gunned down in the shooting in Orlando, Florida. What in the world is happening? And why? What makes someone get behind the wheel of a 19-ton truck and plow into children, leaving blood spatter, teddy bears, and sneakers blanketing the streets of a seaside promenade where families had been watching fireworks light the night sky while they held their little ones with their ice creams? What in the hell has happened to us as a race? We have to live in denial, even if for even a brief snippet of time to preserve and protect our minds.
Then the fear and anxiety takes over. Is it safe to travel? Are families placing their children in harm’s way by taking them abroad to broaden their view of the world? Are we placing ourselves in danger by walking the quads of our country’s campuses or going out for drinks with friends? Where will tragedy strike us next? Is the clock ticking to the next 9/11 scale catastrophe? One can only live in fear for so long. Right now we are collectively living in a state of disbelief and fear. But eventually will we become desensitized to the violence, the loss and the misfortune that has so greatly affected others? Or will we continue to wait for the next act of violence?
It is time to do something. We, as a race, have to do something. There is strength in numbers. Our enemies have proven that. Clearly, we now live in a time where we need to be vigilant and aware of our surroundings, but there has to be something we can do. Start small. Start with a smile, a simple act of kindness. Open the door for someone, pay for someone’s coffee or meal, say hello, and look up from your smart phone. Will this end the chaos in the world, in our country? No. But if there is a chance that, together, we could make a difference and slow the runaway train that we seem to be on, then we have to do something. Love one another regardless of skin color, the uniform they were, or their ethnicity. Love them. Be kind. Be the good we all so desperately need to see in our world.
