With the recent news coming through about the terrorist attack in Paris and the shooting at our city's very own theatre in Lafayette, it's hard to think of the world as anything but hateful and cruel. It's hard to think that people can be good and kind. It's hard to think that we are not alone. But, we aren't alone.
I remember when the theatre shooting happened how terrible and gutt wrenching that made me feel. How could someone come into my beautiful city and destroy the happiness and safety I have built and we have built so strongly. Now, Paris, France deals with the same feelings that our whole community faced back in July. Yet again, my heart feels torn out, much like the rest of the world's I am sure. But, it's not just those moments. It's receiving a GPA lower than a 3.0 for a semester and dropping out. It's watching your loved one die. It's having a perfect life, but having clinical depression to put that to an end. It's falling in love and then having your heart broken. The world is full of hateful things and full of trials and tribulations. It's tough. But, we aren't alone.
I know it's hard to realize this. It's hard to think that anyone could possibly be feeling the pain that you feel. It's hard to think that maybe the reason why it's so hard to get through this, is because you need help from someone. As a society and as the human race, we need to spread more kindness and support through the world now that hatred in plummeting through the air like a disease. It's already happening around us! The support we received as a city from the rest of the U.S. after the theatre shooting was remarkable. The support Paris receiving is just that amazing as well. When we band together, the bad people and things don't win! When we hold each others hands in desperate times, those times don't become as desperate. I beg of anyone who is reading this,if you are going through something, talk to people. If you have someone who needs to talk, treat them with the same respect you would want someone to treat yourself asking for help.
We need to stand tall and stand together to show that no matter what they do to us and no matter what this world does to us, we will rise! We will prevail! We will get through any obstacle and fight with our brothers and sisters no matter the race, religion, or sexuality. We are one human race that will band together in times of darkness and times of disparate and shove, in sync, our middle finger to the ones who will not stand with us and for us.
