#PrayForParis seemed to be trending on mostly every social media platform as of Friday, Nov. 13. As sad and devastating as this act of terrorism was, this is the world we live in.
We live in a world where people get shot in schools and movie theaters. We live in a world where beheadings occur — where there seems to be more evil than good.
Yes it’s important to pray for Paris, many lives were lost and people continue to mourn across nations for each of those individuals. Paris is a city that attracts a lot of tourism, which makes their tragedy more popular than others around the world.
Blogger Karuna Ezara Parikh shared a poem that has since then gone viral. In her poem, she spoke of other tragedies that have occurred around the world recently, yet received no media attention.
Attacks happened in Beirut, but it didn’t strike up as much attention as Paris did. One man died in those attacks for tackling the bomber, but does anyone recognize the name Adel Tormous?
Do we use #PrayForParis because we think Paris is a cool place and because it’s trending on social media? Or do we use it because we truly care and we’re devastated for the events that took place?
It is important that we open our eyes and realize what’s going on in the world around us, and not just in the major cities.
This week, there were eight dead babies found in an apartment in Germany. Earlier in the month, a woman in Afghanistan was stoned to death after being accused of committing adultery. Where are the prayers for these people? Why isn’t there a world crying to aid these victims?
Don’t stop praying for Paris, but remember that there are other issues that are going on as well.
Unfortunately, the bad seems to outweigh the good in this world. In retrospect, our hashtags aren’t going to stop attacks and natural disasters from happening and they’re definitely not going to aid the broken. Sadly, by this time next month, many people may forget that there was even an attack in Paris.
Last year, social media users mourned the shooting at Chapel Hill, and a couple of years back, it was the bombing at the Boston Marathon.
People need to stop trying to make a social media buzz over tragedies and actually do something. Simply posting a picture isn’t going to solve anything. It’s time to start reading the news, the real news and not celebrity gossip.
We need to speak up for those who may not have a voice. Parents need to teach their children right from wrong. There are plenty of good people in this world, but good people need to stop hiding. The good could outweigh the evil, we just need to stop allowing them from dominating the world.
If you’re going to pray, don’t just pray for paris. Pray for your neighbors, friends and even your enemies. Pray that people stop committing acts of violence against one another. Pray for the countries that surround us. Pray that people have clothes, food and shelter. Pray that everyone has a safe place to go to.
Whether it be monetarily or actually volunteering somewhere, also contribute. The world needs more people to perform acts of kindness. We need to stop brushing off the stories we hear on the news.
Sometimes we become immune to seeing and hearing about so many tragedies happening all over the world. We need to stop and realize that victims of these awful events are also humans.
Instead of listening to the news and hearing what the death toll is, replace those numbers with the names of loved ones. It is then that maybe these heartbreaks will feel more close to home instead of just another statistic.
It was best said by Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Together, we can be that change.
