Recent events in Edmonton and Las Vegas have left many people rattled and shaken up, and many are left wondering what is happening to the world around them.
The two events, within a couple of days of each other, occurred within three weeks of the anniversary of another major catastrophic event that shook the very foundations of many people’s worlds, an event known simply by the numbers of the date it occurred: 9/11.
That event of 16 years ago forever changed how people travel in the world, as heightened security measures became the new norm at airports and at many major public events, with metal detectors and pat-downs somehow becoming an expected occurrence.
These measures have had to be tightened up even more as in the last couple of years, ISIS-inspired terrorists have carried out public attacks in London, Paris and many other sites around Europe and elsewhere in the world.
The two big events that hit recently may or may not have anything to do with ISIS, but it really doesn’t matter. They both hit people hard, particularly the shootings in Las Vegas with 59 people dead and over 525 people injured, some from escaping the venue in sheer terror as no one knew where all of these deadly shots were coming from.
How does one deal with all of this?
One police expert told a news show that counsellors will try to help people normalize an abnormal event, because it’s difficult to conceive of how one can think of running people down with a truck, or firing a high-powered rifle into a crowd of 22,000 concert goers, as “normal” in any way. These clearly are not the actions of sane people — but as citizens, we can approach life in a way that promotes human kindness and respect for life, and when someone gives you a random act of kindness, to “pay it forward” and do something nice for someone else.
These actions don’t seem to be much compared to the sheer violence of these events that impacted on so many people’s lives — but the old saying goes, “Charity begins at home.” Each journey, each big change has to start somewhere with the first step, or the first action.
People shouldn’t give up or despair that a quiet and peaceful life will never again be possible, and when someone is hurting, there needs to be someone to come alongside to provide caring and love.
There are no easy answers to these acts of violence, but each of us can live our lives in a way that helps other people and the world a better place. — Greg Nikkel
