We’re all good people, or at least we all like to think we are. I’m sure that there isn’t a secret majority of us that want to see harm done to our neighbors, I mean let’s be honest – we’re all too wrapped up in our own stuff to be thinking of anything else. But when tragedy strikes, it has a way of bringing everybody out of their own little worlds to come together. That is what happened after Friday, November 13, 2015. After the Paris Attacks, people from all walks of life stood together in defiance of allowing terror to infest our lives. However, there are individuals out there blaming the wrong people, generalizing an entire religious group through the actions of the few, and these people have become terrorists themselves. WE must stand not only with Paris, but with all those affected by the heinous acts of terrorist organizations. However, is simply saying we stand behind a cause enough?
Speaking with a friend the other day, she brought up an interesting point that I have seen frequently over the past few days; the Facebook French flag display picture filter does nothing to help the cause. Is this a way for people to passively demonstrate compassion? Is it too easy for people to simply hit a button, and all of a sudden they support Paris and everybody knows about it? The argument is that this act is mainly self-serving, and all about projecting an image rather than actually doing something to assist other people. I believe the measuring stick for judging actions should be: is this doing more harm than good? The answer in this case is yes, in a way.
By only focusing on one group of affected people, we are ignoring the millions of others who feel the damaging effects of groups like the Islamic State, who live their lives in fear of being killed by those around them, or by being caught in the crossfire of a conflict they never wanted anything to do with. It is these people that must be in our hearts as well, because if we do not spread our love and understanding to them, we breed misinformation and unwarranted hate.
Can we really say that we stand behind a cause if we don’t fully understand it? Are we doing enough by throwing a filter on our profile pictures and adorning our Twitter feeds with #PrayForParis? What happened in Paris is a tragedy, and we all have a right to be angry. However, let’s be angry at the right people and love those that are just as scared and sad as we are.