#PrayforParis Prieres Pour PARIS.
Originally posted on my Facebook.
Disclaimer: This is a long essay type of post. Opinion based..
I am not a writer. I may often say too much on Facebook. However, I prefer to be the over-sharer than the lurker.
This post is not meant to ruffle feathers. This post is not meant to take away and dismiss any of the personal truths shared on my Facebook newsfeed from my amazing friends. I fully accept that some, many, or none will agree with me.
Today, we all feel the sadness of the horrific acts witnessed in Paris. For some of you, experienced. I’ve been actively reading my newsfeed. Naturally, it is filled with mix emotions. Yes,we all feel sorrow for Paris. The mixed emotions I’ve read, speaks more to the inequality towards the media’s choice to sell stories. Cover one event, yet not a mention to similar if not worst act of violence that occurs in every corner of our world. Each and everyday.
I’ve seen post on Lebanon, Garissa, and Syria. Yet, I can also remind you of what didn’t appear on my feed that is equally horrifying.
Do we remember Westgate Mall weeks before Garissa in a neighboring country? The lost girls taken by Boko. The truth is, the media may not choose to remember or acknowledge.
But we do not have to follow their lead as an individual.
Each night I light a white candle in prayer or if I only have time to light my incense in the morning I think of the lost girls a promise I made when the news hit 529 days ago.
I am not a saint and the previous statement is not meant to portray me as a good person or better than anyone else.
The reason why I shared that part of my day is to say we all have the ability to learn, seek, and remember all the wrongs occurring in every inch of our world.
Yes, we are allowed to be mad at the media. The emotion of anger and focus on the media on our news feeds raises great awareness to those who choose to accept.
What happens when we are all aware? Will we choose to stay in anger or will we transform that anger into action to make changes our world so desperately needs.
We all can be the media we want. We all have access, influence and control to some capacity if we are willing to use it with purpose.
If you are on Facebook, you have a media channel. You have a podium. Collectively, we can create great change and prove far more influence than our elected leaders.
Yes, we don’t see protest as much as we saw it in the 70s. Today, our march can be walked together with us all living in separate cities from our social platforms together. At great speed.
We can be louder than the media.
As an individual I must understand the top story of the day shown on my news website of choice is not the only top story. I can decided to just read that or take the time a few times a week to seek out the untold stories of people whose voices been taken away from them.
I want to hold myself accountable and not simply the media to learn the truth of the world I live in.
I want to transfer my anger and disappointment of the media and become the media I want to see. I can choose to share the stories the media deems unworthy on my newsfeed, in hopes that at least one person reads it and becomes informed and cares.
Collectively, if we all did this in some aspects we would be a very diverse source of information and truth.
Far greater than any publication that is sold on newsstands or a televised media source.
Our world has changed. It wasn’t for the sake of selfies and foodie pictures. I believe all of these modern technology is our new weapon to fight the good fight. Maybe I’m an idealist, but I’m an idealist with hope in a world that seems to be lacking much hope.
Again, this isn’t meant to dismiss anyone else’s sentiment….I feel it too. I believe all our truths can live respectfully in harmony.
If you made it this far, and have hope that we can reveal the truth collectively…although my Facebook is private…please go ahead and share it with friends.
