On Friday as many of us drove home from work, the news of multiple bombings and deaths had reached Canada, coming from one of the most well-known cities in the world – Paris.
Like many Canadians, maybe most Canadians, I don't understand the complexity of the situation, and situations that are all connected to what likely lead to Friday’s horrifying events, and similar events in other parts of the world. There is so much information and misinformation to wrap your head around and sift through, thanks to the Internet and social media. And unless you're willing to dedicate hours each day, every day, to doing some in depth research, it’s hard to truly understand what is taking place.
Many Canadians have already made a decision about how they feel about what happened, but many of us lack a complete understanding of the situation. If I'm being honest, I truly don't know how I feel, except sadness for the world.
Stories of refugees seeking shelter in safer countries, such as Canada, are heartbreaking. Reports of ISIS infiltrating their way into other countries by claiming they are refugees is a terrifying thought. The idea that few people can cause so much destruction and pain is infuriating. Racism, stereotyping, and dismissing the thousands of innocent people who are caught in the middle, feels inhumane.
Within a few hours of news stories being posted on Friday, I felt overwhelmed. All weekend, each time I scrolled through Facebook I knew I didn't want to read the extremist views and so many of the stories being posted and shared, the violent reports, but I kept falling into the vacuum.
Being informed is important, but feeling overwhelmed by negativity isn't going to help bring about a more peaceful world.
I don't know what the solutions to our world’s troubles are; they are so huge and complex. But I know negativity, hate expanded in any direction, and irrational reactions to the innocent aren't the way to go.
The world needs to work together, somehow. So many people are now standing tall on their soapboxes, speaking up, and often those thoughts do bring my hope in humanity back. But there are sadly many times that I read posts and I struggle to understand how extremism exists in so many forms.
As I was lying next to my son the other night, I watched him sleep soundly, peacefully. I know I'm lucky. I know for now, he's lucky. I think many of us continue to struggle to understand, but pray and wish lives are sparred, and peace prevails. The world isn't perfect, nor will it ever be, but that doesn't mean we can't strive for at least a form of global peace.
