I was going to write something totally different today but with the shooting in a Mosque last night in my hometown, Quebec City, I feel the need to write about it.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of “it doesn’t matter, it’s happening too far away, in places where they deserve it”. That kind of thinking is usually the reflex after a drama. You count your blessing, happy this stuff always happens far away. You don’t feel that concerned until it happens to you. Or close by.
Some of the comments after the shooting were in the lines of “I can’t believe it happened about 1km away from my home”. That’s where it hurts apparently. When it’s close to home. As long as it doesn’t touch you it makes it easier to ignore. But when it happens in your backyard, it makes you realise it could have been you. You might not be that special snowflake after all.
This shit is happening every day all over the world. It is time to open your eyes and make it stop.
Do not fall for Trump’s and other’s hate speeches and “safety” measures.
This demonising of the other instead of showing compassion and care is what allowed all previous genocides. I still wonder how can people not see that and still fall for it.
Divide and conquer has lasted long enough. It’s time to change our approach. This one has been faulty from the start.
All humans are the same. We all want and need the same few things in our lives. Shelter, food, safety, love through either family or friends and feeling like we belong and we matter. Just because you don’t understand something or someone’s choices doesn’t mean they are wrong. And while you can think that they believe in something stupid, it doesn’t mean they are not worthy of the same basics as you. Killing other people for a cause has never really worked. People may convert or pretend they do, but if that’s not genuine does that count for your God?
We need to stop this nonsense of being scared of everything that is different. If we can get along interspecies, why can’t we get along within out own species?
I don’t think I’ll ever truly understand people who hate on other people because they are different. But I’ll keep trying because maybe one day I’ll find the clue or the way to explain things that will make sense to them. A lot of people in the West believe in God because they were told and taught to. And people in the Middle-East believe in Allah for the exact same reason. If you are going to believe in a religion, at least do the work. Get to know your religion. Truly, in and out. The pretty and the ugly. Compare it with others. Inform yourself.
Don’t go only looking for confirmation bias. You know what I’m talking about. Confirmation bias is to go look for information that will corroborate what you believe in. If you are interested in someone, you will notice the ”signs” that they might be interested too all while ignoring the ”signs” pointing to being just friends. This applies to everything. It takes a lot more work and humility to consider you might be wrong.
Maybe you don’t know everything.
Being right, or believing you are, doesn’t give you the right to force that onto someone else.
Question everything.
Be honest with yourself and admit your flaws.
Nothing is perfect and no one has all the answers but if we work together maybe we’ll find some answers.
Be human.
Choose Love.