I went to visit a friend this weekend, and took advantage of the spare moments I had (where I’d usually be stressing over my to-do list for uni) to catch up with the news headlines.
One thing struck me; humanity.
Have you ever watched the News and been struck by the amount of stories on murder, theft, assault, rape, war….? Ever flicked through a national paper and actually stopped to find a story about something good that’s happened (disregarding those heartfelt animal headlines)?
While I was with my friend I read a headline about an elderly man who was mugged just after taking money out of a cashpoint in a busy shopping town, at half past one in the afternoon. Half past one? DAYLIGHT?!
It’s a little shocking, no? Crime in daylight hours still has the ability to shake me up a little; perhaps it’s the thought that a busy place that should be safe wasn’t.
It’s a little shocking, no? Crime in daylight hours still has the ability to shake me up a little; perhaps it’s the thought that a busy place that should be safe wasn’t.
Today, I scrolled through the BBC News website to find a story about a girl called Thusha Kamaleswaran.
Thusha is five. She is also paralysed.
She was ‘playing in a shop’, according to the article, when she was shot, along with one other person at a store in South London in March last year. Two innocent individuals were shot that day caught up in a gang rivalry which had nothing to do with them whatsoever.
Thusha is five. She is also paralysed.
She was ‘playing in a shop’, according to the article, when she was shot, along with one other person at a store in South London in March last year. Two innocent individuals were shot that day caught up in a gang rivalry which had nothing to do with them whatsoever.
Google provides a definition of humanity as ‘human beings collectively’. As in together.
Further down the page of results is a link to a website called The Humanity Initiative. One of the quotes supporting the link says ‘encouraging people to understand this planet as our common home.’
Further down the page of results is a link to a website called The Humanity Initiative. One of the quotes supporting the link says ‘encouraging people to understand this planet as our common home.’
A common home…somewhere we all live collectively.
Now, I don’t want this to get all depressing for my lovely bright eyed readers, but it’s something I’ve noticed. And it’s going to be my message of this blog.
Look for the bright side of the news, to try to balance out all the overwhelming stories of suffering we seem to become suffocated with. There’s campaigners protesting in Nottingham at the moment, for various reasons; one placard states that they are protesting against world poverty and for world peace. Now while that’s a lovely dream, I’m afraid protesting won’t achieve that much; everyone is aware of the issues facing our modern societies and I’m sure many try to do their bit.
So I return to my first point; humanity. I guess we all just need that little bit of faith in it. After being ill the last few days, (nothing life threatening, just a stomach bug) you begin to realise those little gems that sparkle in your life and help you when you haven’t even asked. It seems such a shame when you hear of the horrors that go on day to day; those stories that end up being the next publicised headline on the TV. We can get so caught up in the ‘big news’ that we can forget; they’re people too. So remember your little gems and look for the good in the stories; keep the faith.
Look for the bright side of the news, to try to balance out all the overwhelming stories of suffering we seem to become suffocated with. There’s campaigners protesting in Nottingham at the moment, for various reasons; one placard states that they are protesting against world poverty and for world peace. Now while that’s a lovely dream, I’m afraid protesting won’t achieve that much; everyone is aware of the issues facing our modern societies and I’m sure many try to do their bit.
So I return to my first point; humanity. I guess we all just need that little bit of faith in it. After being ill the last few days, (nothing life threatening, just a stomach bug) you begin to realise those little gems that sparkle in your life and help you when you haven’t even asked. It seems such a shame when you hear of the horrors that go on day to day; those stories that end up being the next publicised headline on the TV. We can get so caught up in the ‘big news’ that we can forget; they’re people too. So remember your little gems and look for the good in the stories; keep the faith.
Different direction. Same reaction. Impressed.
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