As my wife drives us back from Charlotte to our home in Raeford, NC, I think a lot about the horrific events that unfolded in Paris last night. My heart truly aches for the city and all those directly affected by this tragedy. That may sound cliché, but anyone who knows me knows that these aren’t just words.
However, the next part may bother some people and quite frankly, I’m more bothered that I have to say it in the first place. If it weren’t the honest truth, I wouldn’t have to.
But the sad fact is that many people out there are treating Paris like anything else…as nothing more than a “trend.” They’re on that bandwagon until the next trend comes along.
On Facebook, there is a thing where you can temporarily change your profile picture to combine it with France’s flag and I’ve seen several people doing this. I will not be.
I’m not going to knock those who have done this. But I’m going to share my opinion about it and if it doesn’t apply, it really shouldn’t bother you. I strongly believe that many did, as a lot of other acts, just to be on the bandwagon and they’ll jump off as soon as it’s convenient. Very sad indeed.
I talk very often about profound topics such as cherishing one’s life, being saddened by all the killings other bad things happening in our country every single day, treasuring humanity and things of that nature. I don’t do it only when it’s “trending” on some social media site. However, it’s largely ignored or skimmed over because I’m not a celebrity or some other famous person. That’s not a surprise. Many of these are the same folks who get on this bandwagon of showing “support” to the people of Paris.
This does not apply to everyone and if the shoe fits, wear it. I don’t imagine many people would be quick to say, “Oh yeah…he’s talking about me.”
I cannot imagine what the loved ones of those affected by this tragedy are going through right now. I can’t even pretend to understand. There is nothing I can do to bring those people back or to erase what has happened. Plainly and simply stated, that makes me very sad.
Some people have become numb to killings, since they happen every single day, especially here in the United States. But I never am. I will never allow myself to become “numb” to people dying. You can call me naive all you want, but I will never accept that people have to be killed every single day.
So when something happens as it did in Paris last night, I can’t bring myself to do something that is “trendy.” And this certainly isn’t some bandwagon that I will hop off of in a few days. I am too saddened by things and truly, I’m struggling to even write this because there really are no words.
Some of you may be thinking, “Robert, how do we know that you aren’t writing this very blog post to be trendy yourself?” You don’t. But one thing I can tell you for certain that makes me different than a lot of people is the fact that I talk about things like this all the time. I don’t need for a tragedy to strike and hundreds of people to be killed before I show an appreciation for my life and the lives of others. I do it every day.
However, those are times when a lot of people are so wrapped up in the so-called “tragedies” of their own lives that you probably wouldn’t notice it anyway. And I’m not talking real tragedies, of course. It’s the “Boo hoo, it’s Monday,” or “I hate this/that person,” or “Everybody in the world Is stupid except me” nonsense…those little things that seriously pale in comparison to what happened in Paris last night.
Again, I’m deeply saddened by the events of Paris last night and my heart is truly with those people. And I do honestly believe that the hearts of many others are indeed with them…
…that is, until the next trend comes along. And I’m even more saddened by that.
People's Court 