Paris, France. Baghdad, Iraq. Beirut, Lebanon. Two days, approximately 200 people killed and over 600 people wounded.
I felt sick to my stomach when I heard about these acts of terrorism in Paris, at the thought of all these people lost, lives changed forever. But I have not felt this way since the news of the Sandy Hook massacre back in December of 2012. Why?
There has been so much ongoing violence and death in both the United States and around the world. There has been college shooting after college shooting in the United States. And our world is constantly at war, with death occurring at every turn. This week alone saw a double suicide bombing in Beirut, Lebanon and both a funeral suicide bombing and a roadside bombing in Baghdad, Iraq. Back in April, 147 people were killed at Garissa University College in Kenya.
Why have none of these incidents gotten as much press and world support as this weekend’s attack in Paris? Why have none of the rest of these attacks bothered me nearly as much as Paris has?
"We have become desensitized to this ever-present violence and death."
The biggest explanation I can see for this is that we have become desensitized to this ever-present violence and death. I was seven when the Twin Towers fell, just over an hour’s drive away from me. All I’ve ever known of this world has been the War on Terrorism and all this senseless violence. I hate to say it, but whenever I hear about another bombing or shooting on the news, I glance at the story and then move along. It sounds terrible, but these tragedies are so commonplace that I do not want to hear or think about another set of lives being lost.
It takes something as drastic as the loss of 26 innocent lives in an elementary school or six strategically orchestrated attacks on the same European city to get my attention. This is not acceptable. I recognize that this is how I have been conditioned to handle the news of violence in the world, but this is not going to help make the world a better place.
"It takes something as drastic as the loss of 26 innocent lives in an elementary school or six strategically orchestrated attacks on the same European city to get my attention."
Now that the news has our attention, we can show all the support and empathy we would like for Paris, just as they did for us during 9/11. We can change our Facebook profile pictures in solidarity with the people of France. We can share articles and images and hashtag “Pray for Paris.” However, this is not enough; this does not change what has happened or take any steps towards preventing something like this from happening again.
What the world needs is more compassion and more education. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, compassion is the “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” It is not enough to sympathize or empathize with those suffering in Paris or Baghdad or Beirut. We must find our compassion and take measures to alleviate the distress of others and prevent similar distress from occurring in the future.
I understand that we cannot all hop on a plane to Paris. Even if we could, what contributions can we really make upon our arrival to this suffering city? If anything, we need to take this compassion and express it within our own community. We can take steps towards preventing future school shootings and changing the violent culture of today’s society. We should be striving to help people see the good still surrounding us in this world. As we grow older, we take on more and more responsibility for what happens around us. Each person can be the deciding factor between an act of violence and an act of compassion, without ever realizing it.
"We should be striving to help people see the good still surrounding us in this world."
Equally as important, do not change the channel when the news comes on speaking of the most recent bombing or the latest shooting. It is hard to take these atrocities in so consistently, but it is even more important to be an informed citizen. Someday we will be the ones in charge of this world; those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. We need to pay attention to what is going on around us daily. We need to be cognizant of what role our country is playing in world affairs, and what extremist groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda are doing. We should recognize that every life has value, regardless of the circumstances. We should react with equally as much upset at the bombings in Beirut as the attacks in Paris.
In a world that breeds so much hate and violence, these actions should be countered with compassion and understanding. Please do not misunderstand; I know terrorism cannot be defeated with a hug and a smile. However, fighting fire with fire will only set the world ablaze. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
"In a world that breeds so much hate and violence, these actions should be countered with compassion and understanding."
In light of these horrific incidents that have captured the world’s attention, find your compassion and try to make a positive change in the world. Do not allow yourself to become desensitized to the loss of life; do not check out when the nightly news comes on. Everyone should know just as much about the attacks in Beirut and Baghdad as they do about Paris.
This outcry against such senseless bloodshed is an outcry for change. If everyone expresses more compassion in this world, we can take steps to change this cultural predisposition for violence. Everyone can make a difference. Changing your profile picture shouldn’t be where your actions stop – it should be just the beginning. Turn that empathy into compassion; stay informed of what is going on in the world, and know you can make a difference. If we all come together – not as black or white, not as Christian or Muslim, not as American or French, but as humans striving for peace and understanding – we can change the world.
"Changing your profile picture shouldn’t be where your actions stop – it should be just the beginning."
