Sunday, February 03, 2008

1st Feb:
Gunmen opened fire on the Israeli embassy in Mauritiana, wounding three French citizens.
A police officer in Sydney, Australia, was shot in the stomach. He's recovering in hospital.

2nd Feb:
Two police officers in Gwinnett, USA, shot at each other and obtained minor injuries.
The owner of a business in Lancaster, USA, was shot to death by an employee over a debt.

3rd Feb:
Five people were shot and killed in a mall in Chicago, USA.
A 17 year old Australian girl is in a critical condition after being shot in Vrindavan, India. The gunman then shot himself.

That's six (6) instances of violence involving guns in just three days, and if I'd searched the news just a minute or two longer I'm sure I'd have found at least another six. And I haven't even started on knives and other deliberate violence. What is it about we humans, that we feel the need to inflict pain and cause death??? It's not enough to conquer, to effectively own the planet, to have power over every other creature. We have to do it to each other too. When our species finally becomes extinct, I am quite sure it will be our own doing. Will that be such a bad thing? It often seems that the negative points of our race far outweigh the positive. Yes, there are nice people out there. There are people and organisations working for the greater good. But human greed and selfishness may never be overcome. You know things are skewed when you celebrate human kindness as though it's a rarity, rather than accept it as though it's normal. Instead we accept violence as normality. Violence doesn't need publicity and donations from the public. Have you ever seen an ad on TV asking you to donate to a terrorist cell?

I have an idea. I would like each person reading this blog to at least consider this... I'm sure all of us have homeless or destitute people living in our cities. I'm sure all of us have seen somebody who just needs a smile. Give those homeless people a dollar. Smile at those lonely and miserable people. Buy them a coffee. Sign a petition against the war the Middle East. I want every single person to perform an act of kindness before the end of this week - either on a personal level, for an individual, or by writing to or donating to an organisation. Something, anything. Small or large, whatever you have the time and resources for. Please. The world needs you.

7 comments:

Stace said...

In response to my own plea, I've just donated some money to Doctors Without Borders/Medicins Sans Frontieres. Just so you know I'm not asking of you something I haven't done myself! :)

Anonymous said...

This is why i love my new Job, adventure excitement and really wild things... but i get to put something back into the community, make a difference and maybe just maybe the ripple effect may change the world.

I love you baby and i miss your sense of social responcibility to keep me thinking the right way....

Stace said...

You don't need me to keep you thinking the right way. You have a wonderful innate sense of what's right and wrong, and you don't hesitate to do what's right. It's you who makes me want to be a better person.

lee said...

Not in the same league, but I will donate some things to the local lifeline.

Stace said...

Lee, that's great. Like I said, whatever you're able to do :) Thank you :)

Cazzie!!! said...

I donate to anything I come across, I am a sucker for the poor boxes collecting money, for the people calling me to sell raffle tickets for epilepsy or the cancer society and I donated heaps of clothes last week to a non profit aide place.
I feel like if I do this, and because I want to do this, the repayment back to ourselves is also granted. We have health and I am lucky enought to have a job where I can come home and feed and cloth my family..and then give on the clothes to others when the kids grow out of them. I do feel blessed.
I hate listening to the news or reading about it. It makes me sad for all the families who suffer due to someone's needless death. For every one person killed there has got to be at least 100 people affected.
Stace, you are awesome :)

Stace said...

Cazzie, that's wonderful! I knew I chose good friends ;) I was thinking that I wanted to ask everybody to do this one extra nice thing, or many one per week or something, but so many of my friends already do! I guess I'm a bit late with jumping on the bandwagon! hehe