After the horrific tragedy that struck in Nice, France—on Bastille Day, no less—I felt the need more than ever to write about the most necessary thing ever in times like these: love.
When disasters such as this happen, people tend to automatically turn to a number of specific reactions. Some will react by simply saying how awful it is. Some will react angrily and say 'I told you so.' Some will pay no attention in order to not worry themselves. However, something that so few seem to resort to, but should, is to love. Even if it is as little as hugging a family member or a friend, or sending a monetary donation to people who are going through terrible tribulations, you would be spreading the love that is so very necessary in our world today.
There are so many amazing examples of wonderful people spreading love in times of tragedy. To name a few that may not be mentioned as much as they should: Christian West Howard, a realtor and owner of 'The Heart That Gives' charity in Florida who is originally from Orlando, gives 50% of his real estate commission to the charity of his client's choosing. After the shooting at Pulse night club in Orlando, it hit Christian really close to home. So what did he do? He helped more than 200 people effected by the shooting find a place to stay as well as providing necessary resources to them while they were suffering.
Another example of someone being incredible and selfless after tragedy struck this time consists of not only one person, but a whole conglomeration of people coming together to spread love and hope. Directly after the bombing in Paris last fall, numerous people logged onto twitter and started posting tweets offering refuge and safety to those effected by the attack featuring the hashtag "#PorteOuverte", which means 'Open Door' in French. All of these people decided that they were going to send their love to people they didn't even know in order to ease the pain brought on by the attack. I think that we should all take note of the selfless kindness of these awesome examples and, instead of turning a blind eye, do something—anything. Even if you aren't close enough or able to do something like offering refuge to people who are being effected by the tragedies—as I state earlier, give a small monetary gift to help out. Or, if you can't do that, just hug your family and friends, let them know that you're glad that they're okay and be thankful.
The one thing that you should never do in the wake of a tragedy is make it about you. What I mean by this is that you should never be an 'I told you so' kind of person in a time like this. The situation is not about you and you shouldn't try to pretend that it is. The only thing it does is upset those around you, especially the people that may be directly affected by it or have family/friends that are affected by it. So, instead of being selfish, be selfless and kind. Spread the love to those in need as much as you can—you won't regret it.
