In light of the attacks in Paris yesterday, I'd hope to nobody's surprise, today's blog will be lacking it's usual humor and sarcasm. There's nothing humorous or sarcastic about a group of individuals with hearts full of hate, and minds full of weakness, attacking and killing at least 120 people, while injuring many, many more. Yesterday, I found tears in my eyes while I continued to receive updates on the horror taking place in a city that emanates love; today, I feel the hangover. My heart feels heavy, my body is tense, and my empathy for the loss of life and the loss of joy is digging a hole in me.
However, in the midst of the sadness, I find that not all share those feelings. They are not mourning for the violent loss of innocent human lives, they are not mourning for the shattering of a beautiful city by the detonation of explosives, and they are not mourning for those who had to wake up today with their loved ones not next to them. No. They are perpetuating the same hate that drove this Islamic group to commit this horrific act by spewing it at the Muslim culture as a whole, and at the refugees who are trying to escape this exact violence.
I invite those people to put yourselves in the shoes of those you are condemning as a result of the actions of a microcosm of their population. Imagine, just for a day, that you were in a new place, finally free from the sound of gunfire, the stain of blood, and the images of violence - you finally made it to a place where you are safe. Yet, once you're awoken from your daydream of solace, you find that people look at you in a certain way. You no longer see a gaze of welcome, with hands out full of offerings. No, that's gone because an extremist group of people who look like you, who don't have strength in their souls or the love in their hearts to be good, committed a horrendous act against humanity. So, as a result, you are now seen as a terrorist. People who once came to you with open arms, now turn their shoulders, only to glance over with fear, with hatred. Not because they are mad at you, but because you look like someone that they are mad at. Now, you're in a new hell, where you are the enemy.
Imagine that, just for a moment, and then rethink the circulation of hate that you are giving life to. I know it's hard to do because we, in these richer nations - namely the United States - cannot imagine a world where we go to sleep, not to the sound of our televisions or to the sound box that takes you to the forest, but to the sound of gunfire. Of explosions. Of your home being burnt to the ground around you while you just wait to be next. Instead, we wake up in our cozy beds, drive to Starbucks, and get mad about a cup not having snowflakes on it. It's time to reflect on ourselves, and take a moment to step outside of ourselves to truly feel compassion for all who were and will continue to be affected by this. We are all humans, we are all sad, we are all angry, and we are all hurt; but that sadness, anger, and that hurt needs to be directed at the group who did this, not at the people who were unfortunate enough to live in the same geographical location as that group.
Further, I find that the gun argument is getting some light. Either "they wouldn't have died if they all had just been strapped," or "this is more proof that we need stricter gun laws." Both of those are asinine and have no place in this discussion. Save that for your Facebook quarrels. Guns weren't the weapon in these attacks - hatred was the weapon. Weak minds were the weapon. Guns and explosives were the means by which those weapons were able to operate. So, before you continue to use this tragedy as a stage for your own personal opinions on political topics, remember that. Step back for a second and acknowledge the fucking tragedy that has taken place. Can we, for one day, forget politics, forget conflicts, and just mourn together as humans while we try to understand why this happened to our people and what we can do to ensure that it doesn't happen again.
In the end, what I saw was taxi drivers taking people home for free; hashtags being spread like wildfire on Twitter offering safe places to stay for those unable to find one; police officers storming into the concert hall knowing that there were gunmen on the other side of the door, armed and willing to take their lives, but without hesitation to save the people they've been employed to protect; national monuments around the world lighting up in blue, white and red in support of France; volunteers lining up to donate blood for those injured in the attacks; and complete strangers crying because of the tragedy that had taken place on Earth's soil. That's what I saw. I saw love, and it was and continues to be beautiful. That group - who, if you haven't noticed, I refuse to call by name - will not win if we continue to try a little bit harder every day to love the person next to us. Whether it's your spouse, your kids, your friends, or a complete stranger, this world needs more love to cover up the despicable hate that's bringing us all to our knees.
All I know is that when my girlfriend got home last night, I held her for a little bit longer with a grateful and thankful sense that I was able to; yet with a sting of sadness for those who would never be able to hold their loved ones again. Love each other. It will heal us, and maybe 20 years from now we'll be able to explain to our kids how we lived on such a violent planet, but moreover, how we pulled ourselves out of it by loving one another. I hope everyone has a humble Saturday. I love you all.
Peace to Paris - we all stand with you while we grieve.
No comments:
Post a Comment