A few days ago, unnecessary violence happened again in multiple countries in our world. After the explosions and shootouts in France, almost everyone on my news feed changed their profile picture to the colors of France’s flag in order to show their support for the country in this horrible time.
I haven’t. And I want to explain why.
It’s not that I don’t support France. Or any of the other causes that have happened where you could change your profile picture to show your support. And I want to expressly state that I am not judging anyone who does change it. I’m positive that it helps the people in these countries or situations to see so much support from people all over the world. I know I would feel better if it was me in that situation.
It’s not that it doesn’t affect me. I literally started crying when I was reading what happened. The people that got hurt were people who were just doing what any of us could have been doing that night. They were in restaurants, watching concerts, hanging out. We went out the night after and all I could think is what would I do to protect my daughter if something like that happened where we were. Because, as we have seen through so many of these violent tragedies, it could have.
It’s because I can’t do anything to stop it. Changing my profile picture won’t stop these people from hurting innocent people again.
When my friends started changing their pictures and colors to support France, I thought about it. That “try it” button is so easy to press. But I couldn’t press it. Because all I could think was “Is this all you can do to help?”. I felt guilty and sad because I don’t want that to be all I could have done to make their pain less, to make things better for those people. I want to be able to do more.
I hate the fact that I feel so helpless in these situations. I wish I could gather up all of these crazy people and keep them away from everyone and everything good. I honestly believe the majority of people and all of the religions in the world are good. I want to live in a world where I can raise my kid and not worry for her safety because the people around her would help protect her as opposed to want to hurt her. Unfortunately, we don’t always live in that world.
But we do live in a world where others do need our help. And, as I feel almost every time after some horrible tragedy happens, we need to figure out how we can help.
I keep trying to figure out what I can do. And until then, I can’t do something that doesn’t physically make things better for the people who have gone through it.
If you have ideas or suggestions, maybe it’s time for us to start trying to make a change. Please share your thoughts on how we can do this together.
Who We Are Today 
I can understand the sheer helplessness you must feel. Another day, another news story about another atrocity. One can’t help but feel a sense of helplessness. However, it is in these situations where no one can really bring back those who are gone that the ones who are survived by them need to feel a bit of humanity and believe there is good around them. That is when an act of solidarity around the world that brings all who are opposed to such heinous crimes speaks louder than any immediate action that may eliminate all ills of a human society. When I am feeling a loss, I don’t want someone changing my reality, but rather someone who quietly sits there and mourns with me. A warm, kind person who simply is there. That sometimes is just enough to help me start my journey to healing. Maybe the colors of solidarity are just that. A glimmer of hope of the good we all believe exist and we work to keep spreading it so eventually our collective light will dim or eliminate the darkness that evil spreads.
Very good blog. I feel the same way. Helpless, Angry, Filled with despair. Lot of manipulation is done by our media. When there is a tragedy in any European country or Israel the whole news hour is devoted to the story. If there is any tragedy is other countries it is just passingly mentioned.
Bo,
Well the feeling of helplessness is very much present and I cannot do anything about it. However it takes me back to my youth. As a Scout, what is my good deed of the day! We cannot relieve the pain that has been caused, but we can relieve someone else’s pain near us.
All events either good or bad in the whole world are controlled by pure mathematical probality of 50% each. However possibility of extraordinarily good or extraordinarily evil incidence is highly rare in a given time span. Such rare incidences have definite meaning that some factors other than chance phenomenon are at play. To peep in to these causes one should look at the surroundings of that person’s up bringing by parents, teachers, society, and worldly incidences experienced by him/her. All human babies are born like computer coming out of factory with formatted hard disc. The input devices like eyes, ears taste,touch will register various software programmes in cpu (brain). Actions, speech, and such other output devises
will be guided by these software.so the real culprit is the doctrine that inculcates such vitiated evil actions . You may call them malwares or viruses or faulty nurturing, faulty teaching, faulty perception of thinking. We all must fight such evils at all fronts. Help each and everyone to eliminate these viruses. All must help create right environment for every individual in whatever capacity he can ie by thoughts, actions, words, wealth or such collective efforts.
You are duing good by spreading virtues for others.
Congratulations and Good luck to you and the young generations for righteous thinking.
Edit: correct second word in second line as ‘probability ‘.