Too Often I find myself complaining about what is wrong with this world, especially while contemplating what to write about for this Blog. Ranging from saving someone from putting yourself in harms way to save the life of another or saying a kind word to another in desperate need of counsel and acceptance, are these not the behaviors we, as a society, must laud and give ample praise? All too often, whether it be through other media outlets, or blogs such as this one, the negative news trumps all else that has happened on that day. Should we not also pay attention to what “didn’t happen” too? All of the people not murdered, raped, or beaten? All of the random acts of kindness towards random strangers? Does not that man who bought a meal at a Deli for a desperate man on the street deserve as ample coverage as the rapist or murder? Or dare I say, more? Or, perhaps that woman who, in her haste, took the time to forgive her sister whom had slighted her and defamed her name? such acts of grace and humility, unfortunately, do not carry much currency in a culture dominate with reality TV, visa vie Paris Hilton, or the equally disgraceful I Love New York on VH1. A toxic cult of celebrity has engulfed and begun to strangle us. Recently, Washington College was gripped with a tragedy, the death of a student in his sleep. Clearly such a tragedy, one would suspect, would evoke sympathy from the entire student body, living in a community of only 1,400 students, however, I found some students callously indifferent to the tragic loss of life. I found it even more disturbing that I called a few of these people my “friends.” In times of tragedy and loss, even if the loss was not our own, we must reach out to the affected parties and lend a helping hand. It is the human thing to do.
