July 14, 2016.
Location: Nice, France. Bastille Day (a National Holiday) celebration
A man drives a truck (lorry) through the crowd, mowing down civilians. 84 deaths reported so far, with over a hundred injured. A few civilians made efforts to stop the truck, including one cyclist who was run over. The attacker was shot and killed by police.
I feel as if the more resigned, the more desensitized we become to violence, the less we feel the need to help. Empathy deigns us, normally kind and loving people, frozen in place. The more we do not feel in control and the more we feel helpless, the more we defend ourselves by not caring.
We should we shocked, angry, scared, confused, hurt. These are people like us with families, friends, communities, dreams and aspirations. They garden, go to the movies, tell their children bedtime stories. Those who commit mass murder have no such concept of humanity and no respect for human lives.
We cannot stoop so low as to feel the same.
At the same time, emotions can make us numb. We must feel, but not too much as to overwhelm us. Problems are more overwhelming if you take them all in at once, and all seems lost.
No comments:
Post a Comment