The last couple of weeks I realize more often that I start to recognize the moment better when to take a rest, resulting in a couple of posts a week instead of every day, experiencing that is fine too. I still need to make myself a schedule to make it less irregular making my blog easier to follow.
Besides that I’m planning more changes for this blog, making it grow up a bit more without losing it’s first purpose: learning through experience.
First change has already been made, look at my new office station! Nah, kidding. I’m a lucky bastard who got a new bed, which obviously is my new writing home base.
Being happy and all I cannot deny the events of last night shook me up. I’m all for not being consumed by fear and what not, but to be honest when people broke the news to me I was absolutely consumed by the words, the images, the stories.. I’m that type of person who’d love to live under a stone sometimes, because the news often makes me sick to my stomach. Unfortunately I also think it’s important to be up-to-date. I’d just rather not watch it. I mostly read. This time my eyes were glued to my laptop screen following the NOS live broadcast.
I can still hear myself saying ‘don’t do it, don’t do it’ CLICK* And there I sat, I did it, shaking my head while watching.
I do care what happens in the rest of the world, not only what happens in Paris or anywhere else close. Thing is, I’d absolutely be a liar if I’d say it didn’t raise more emotions. Yes, it did. Yes, because it’s a scene close to home, physically and on social level, in my case connected through music. It does wake more emotions in me for all other events, though. So in some way I it teaches me what’s being felt not only here, but everywhere where these attacks occur.
I felt horrified, but what could I do more than accepting it has occured. Wishing it wouldn’t have is fighting something impossible. Accepting that does not mean I approve, on the contrary.
Change what you can change, accept what you can change and know the difference. So the question is it that we can change?
Choose humanity. Being human unfortunately doesn’t make us human yet. Not think in black or white, good or bad, one truth, for there are many.
There are so many sides to what we do. No only what we do, also what ‘they’ do, talking about all humans.
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/14/bill-maher-paris-attacks
In every conflict, ‘Black Pete’, attacks, a random quarrel… Do we understand other sides and perspectives? Do we even try? Do we understand that the possibility exists we’ll never fully understand, and that that maybe is what we need to accept? Not expect from eachother we completely understand one another, but at least tried?
[ Interesting read, speaking about motives (In English) ]
There’s always a deeper motive to actions, but from both sides we cannot see them anymore for they are covered in blood stains and threats back and forth. Humanity slipping further into a black hole further and further away, solutions becoming unimaginable, talking unthinkable, reaching point of no return.
So is it required to understand motives? How can we imply what needs to be done or changed when we don’t even understand what’s going on, really going on, besides the actions we see on the surface?
[This article I came across just yet has a very interesting view on the situation. It’s in Dutch unfortunately, but those who are able to read, should really do!]
I’ve been thinking about this the whole time and I don’t want to be just another obnoxious person with an opinion or ‘speech’ on the social media, but who am I judging people for having one. Wheter I disagree or not, if I allow myself to judge people for what they have to say, I better have the balls to speak up.
Like, I did think waking up today, scrolling through my feed: Am I the only one who believes ‘Pray for Paris’ is painfully ironic? Do we really all just share a cry without thinking about it, because it’s a catching alliteration? Meanwhile shouting things about religion.
No, Mo, it’s about being supportive! To pay our respects. Which leads to another discussion I noticed today. Do we do it so we feel better about ourselves (’cause some cleary haven’t read what they wrote about religion being the evil and the hashtag #prayforparis they’ve used)? Is this really a way of helping and being supportive? Are we lying to ourselves?
I hear different sounds saying we’re pretending on social media to feel better and I believe we do, but I believe we ALL do, including me and the ones who say we do. It’s never the social media being the lie, it’s us.
Why do we feel better supporting France, why we haven’t colored our layers for other attacks? I haven’t colored anything, never have. Why now if I never have with all other lives taken daily.
Is it because it’s the first time we actually feel and notice how real the danger is? Maybe we do. Once again, the’re more sides. I mean why is it the first time I write a piece like this? Because it is the first time I truly felt it. Isn’t that sad, that it has to be close to make even more aware?
See here what happens? I’m going from understanding why people are annoyed by the hashtag, speeches and images with good reason to understanding why it is that these are appearing now, also with good reason.
It starts with ourselves and being able to walk in someone else’s shoes. I see people pointing to refugees, but have we considered the reason they’re refugees in the first place? I see people dissaprove of the people who fear the incoming refugees, but have they considered it’s not the emotion ‘fear’ that is wrong, but the actions against refugees that come from it. There’s nothing wrong with being frightened for your safety and of others (unfortunately persons with bad intentions come with the rest) as well as there’s nothing wrong with being concerned of the safety of the refugees. There is not one truth.
Going on about the coverage France has been getting by the other media in comparison to other areas and speaking about truth; Is it our own responsibility to look up information and choose our sources? I feel the media carefully formulate messages by consiously deciding what we do get to see or hear. The way CNN reported and the way NOS (dutch broadcast foundation, public) did are totally different. Also here it’s not only about how it’s reported, but also what is reported and what not, referring to other attacks not in Europe.
At one point when hooked to my screen I noticed I started to think about the influence of the media, even this public news broadcast.
A couple of times I noticed the presenter asking certain questions to journalists on the scene which asked for thrilling and sensational stories, being repeated and repeated, while the journalists made clear they only could tell what they saw and had no other information. It was as if he was pushing them to find out more facts that’d strike more fear in our hearts. More about the dead, the wounded, the shots, the units..
Back to my question. I might find that the media isn’t reporting in a correct way, but from behind my keyboard here I can’t change that. What I can change is deciding to make it my own responsibility to find the right information. Is it, or is it not? Does it start with ourselves? I’d like to know how you think about this topics, as well as all the topics above. And I haven’t even covered anything yet about the discussions going on about the Islam.