It isn't until tragedies happen, such as:
1. Friday's attacks in Paris.
2. The bombings in Beirut.
3. The Charlie Hebdo attack.
4. The 9/11 attack.
5. Plane crashes.
6. Cruise ship sinkings.
7. The Earthquake in Nepal.
8. College shootings.
9. The refugee crisis in Syria.
10. Killings of hundreds of women in Guatemala.
That most of the world comes together in solidarity.
Let's take the recent attacks on Paris for example. The victims of this tragedy have received an incredible amount of support worldwide. The hashtags #PrayForParis, #United #StopTheViolence immediately started trending. Buildings all over the world lit up their structures with the French flag's colors to show support. People are bombarded with updates on Facebook, Twitter, the radio, and TV.
What happens the next day, though? What about the day after that? The week after?
Once the next big story trumps the number one spot, most of us forget.
Once this happens it is very easy to turn back into our normal lives and forget that we are one. Some of us forget to be empathetic, to be good Samaritans or even be respectful to one another.
Showing unity during hard times is great, but we shouldn't wait until 100 hostages get killed to appreciate life. We shouldn't wait until we see thousands of people displaced, fleeing for their lives to appreciate our home. We shouldn't wait until we see innocent people die to be thankful we haven't.
Injustice and violence surround us whether we pay attention to it or ignore it.
Let's all take a moment to appreciate what we have and appreciate each other. We might not be able to stop terrorism or natural disasters or corruption.
What we can do is change our outlooks in life. We can choose to be positive when things are tough. We can choose to be the bigger person and treat people with respect even when they might not deserve it. Let's choose to be united and help one another. Let's not only show solidarity in extreme cases. Open the door for someone when they're struggling. Smile at someone. Let's be human beings.
