We’ve seen the marches in solidarity with victims of terrorism, from chants of Je suis, Charlie and the ubiquitous red, white and blue Eiffel tower icons to the massive gathering in London (right) and the rainbow lighting on government buildings as far away as Perth, Western Australia, in honor of the fallen in Orlando.
It gives me chills to see such a global reaction to local tragedy.
While it is so incredibly sad that the senseless slaughter of innocents is sparking a unity that’s never been seen before, nonetheless it is a clear demonstration of the growing connection between humans everywhere.
Of course, that is the result of us being able to instantaneously communicate with one another, thanks to technological advancements like real-time social media. But our ability to chat from Minneapolis to Sydney, from Berlin to Rio, from Tokyo to Reykjavik, in the present moment is just a tool. What we do with it is what matters. And what is truly revolutionary is the love that is spreading like waves around the planet in the wake of these tragedies.
We now have the ability to directly demonstrate our support, and our feelings, with fellow humans living anywhere in their time of need. And conversely, each of us can receive the same love and support in return.
Today I find myself wondering if these terror attacks offer a silver lining, only in the sense that they inspire humanity to practice the newly evolved skill of sending love
en masse to fellow citizens of the world. Without such motivation, how would we know that so many of us could broadcast such inspiration to a specific part of the world with hardly any advance notice?
Why does this matter?
It matters because it’s too easy to be shaken personally by daily reports of insensitivity, bullying, rudeness, abuse and just plain uncivil behavior between one another. It is easy to convince yourself that things are getting worse, not better. It’s easy to get down in the dumps about our collective future.
Even looking at global events from a big-picture perspective, it’s easy to think that religious-inspired radical extremism — not just Middle Easterners perverting Islam, but also cross-burning and abortion-protesting Americans perverting Christianity, just to name two examples — is a setback. Many of us envision a future of peace, love and understanding for all, but there is a perfect timing to everything under God. Not everything that happens can be understood. Feel with the heart.
Let’s use these examples of global connection as a sign of the times, as a harbinger of greater peace, as a testimonial to the power of love, the energy that binds us all together.
And let’s not wait for mass casualties to share love with each other, in our neighborhoods, in our cities and nationally. Let’s create projects that unite the world in ways we’ve only begun to imagine.
As Nike says: Just do it.
Photo credit: Alisdare Hickson/flickr
