Rémi WalleAs attacks like the recent ones in Edmonton and Las Vegas are becoming common occurrences, there are some stories we’ve heard a couple times now. I will spare you the “refugees do not support terrorist attacks” and the “that 64-year old man isn’t called a terrorist because of white privilege.” I won’t waste your time with how hypocritical it is to only care about those crimes against humanity only when it means we could be next, only when the countries affected are the ones we look up to instead of the ones we don’t care about. “Have you ever heard of Syria?” is not the question I want to ask.
My question sounds more like “Are you doing anything more than judging people?”
Judging refugees and Trudeau for letting them in, or judging Canadians for stereotyping people (very ironic indeed). Judging Trump and his government for not talking about gun control or judging people who keep comparing the US to Australia. Judging the horrible people who commit those attacks or judging people who say mental health is real. Sitting around, doing nothing but complaining and pointing fingers will not make any difference. It just gives you the satisfaction to say, “I know what’s wrong with the world and it’s not me.” If you’re really so much better that you allow yourself to judge, why don’t you act like it?
We talk about how awful others are when they sin differently than we do. Some of us even think about revenge. We judge, then act the same, forgetting to keep ourselves in check, pretending that our awful actions are understandable, for we have “good” reasons. It’s ridiculous how we criticise the unacceptable, then go out and do the unacceptable, as if being born in Canada gives us some sort of white card. Yes, I’m talking to you, people who are thinking about attacking the Muslim community, which shouldn’t need to prove they have done nothing wrong.
The best thing to do when you hear about outraging news is to act like the better person you think you are. Judging others won’t improve the situation. Be good to people. The world needs the good apples out there to outweigh the seemingly-constant evil we hear about in the news. ATTENTION GOOD PEOPLE. We have a part to play — no time to feel helpless. We are not as alone as the media wants us to believe. Apparently, there is a lot of money to be made when you portray the world as scarier than it actually is. Look around you. Look at the amount of people who helped in Las Vegas. Kind people are not hard to find.
The world isn’t only made of wars, politics, and money. It’s made of people who have more power than they’re aware of too. It’s also up to us to create a life where the humanity of people is respected and where peace doesn’t sound impossible. On the Ellen Show, the spotlight is often put on “ordinary” people who do amazing things for others, like the teacher who uses music to help his students focus in class, or the groom who saved a drowning kid. They don’t have much more than us, except they used that power they have, that power we all have, to make the world a better place.
So please, please, please, don’t forget to be kind to each other, especially in these Halloween-y times.
