Like many I was dumbfounded, and had a
difficult time processing that it was all very real. The mass murder of people
in Paris, people just going about their business, people eating, shopping,
listening to music, people enjoying all that life has to offer. Here in the
United States, we are also familiar with what mass murder has done to our own
country, and our own people. It wasn’t that long ago that buildings were
destroyed, and thousands died at the hands of orchestrated mass murder.
The Paris streets were still in disorder and
chaos, the corpses had not even cooled, the buildings were still smoldering
when the first Internet attack memes showed up. Conservative’s blamed Obama and
all Liberals, Liberal’s blamed all conservatives, Christian’s blamed all Islam,
and Atheist’s blamed all religion. Again I was dumbfounded, and had a difficult
time processing that we were actually attacking each other over the attacks!
For an all to brief moment in time after
9-11, we as a people of this country seemingly came together. We were very
briefly united in our shared love of humanity; we were united in our compassion
for our fellow countrymen. It was almost palpable, people appeared to actually
care, and believe in each other, but then it evaporated as quickly as the
morning dew. Somewhere a bell chimed signaling the start of the next round, we
returned to our corners and put the gloves on and mouthpieces back in then.
Then we proceeded to pummel and bash each other as if the other side was responsible
for it all.
Many more mass murders have happened since
then, and now Paris is among the list of casualties. The combatants in the ring
took notice for just a few moments then proceeded to slug each other with an
ever-greater intensity, and vigor than before. Each side believing the harder
they swing, and the more blood they can draw, the mightier their cause must be.
Each combatant started congratulating themselves on their wisdom, on their
brilliance, and extoling their own virtue as if it were above reproach. Each
side doing exactly the same as the other.
The brutish sluggers in the ring are beating
on each other with an increased ferocity. Now the audience has joined in the
melee, and they too are swinging with all their might, desperate to draw more
blood and prove that their cause, their ideology is mightier than the others.
It is one continual round of bloody tribal warfare, with no victors, but plenty
of hate, and blame to spread around.
I firmly believe in the 1st amendment and
Freedom of Speech. All of mankind should have the right to express themselves,
and espouse their ideas whether anyone else agrees with it, or not. However, I
sometimes wonder if we also believe in the right to remain silent, and I don’t
mean the Miranda Right when you are under arrest. Maybe it’s better to remain
silent, and be thought of as a fool than to speak, and be known as a fool.
There is so much genuine hate, and blame that already exists in this world, why
cultivate any more of it? It’s not about us; sometimes it’s about the other
person and compassion and for them.
What happened to that brief moment in time
after 9-11 where we as a people were all burdened with the same sense of loss,
and sadness? What happened to that common love of humanity and love of our fellow
citizen? I saw it once; I experienced it once, didn’t you? The idealist in me
says, “It’s not gone it happened once, it can happen again.” The pessimist in
me says, “Our hearts have become as cold and black as an obsidian spear head.”
It’s not up to me; it’s up to us where we end up, it’s up to us
whether we perpetuate the bloodletting, or unite as people with common goals.
P.S. I’m just one voice in millions, take
whatever message pleases you, and try not to read too much into this, my
opinion, your opinion, is so much belly button lint in the navel of the
Internet.
Some of the stupid blame game meme's. I won't
even bother with twats that are tweeting, seeing is how I refuse to be a
twatter.
