As unfortunately events in London this Saturday showed only too well it isn't too difficult to disrupt, injury or even take lives in seconds even if thank heavens it only took 480 seconds which is near enough 8 minutes to draw the incident to a safe conclusion although its effects live on for longer not least in our hearts and minds and for a period when it comes to just getting about a major city such as our Capital.
The bigger part of this was touched on in my post of May 24th when I spoke about how such events affect us either as people who were present at such an outrage or as people, often from that area who feel other peoples loss and feel less than secure.
While I can't and maybe we all can't criticize the mass media for talking often at length about such incidents, all too often what we get is extended speculation and sheer impact rather than fact and this easily plays into our insecurities.
I think one of the things we need to bear in mind is what news is: it is the exception, that appeals to sensation and it can play very much on such understandable emotions as fear, anger, disgust and hatred when that is all we see and feel.
It can be a only too real form of mental contagion replacing what we know to be right by a sense of paranoia and in the light of such recent events we need to arm our minds against ideas not least actually that we are all interconnected.
One of the things people such as so-called Isis rather like others such as the I.R.A. like to do is to play a game of dividing us us into groups by our nationality, ethnicity, religion or politics as if our belong any combination of such group somehow means we do not see the others as fellow human beings, not feeling and caring for and about them.
We are all members of one human race who share the same values of love, compassion and respect for one another that are written in the overwhelming majority of world religions and if you subscribe to one you know that is something that is at the core of our lives.
It is what we owe each other.
We need to replace in our minds that fear which is too easily transmitted, that hate even by love affirming the universe truth which is love conquers hate but also will meet every human need coming from our common humanity and it starts sharing with the person next to us.
We need to arm ourselves too against the demonizing of entire communities, communities that would hold those actions by people claiming to act on them as shameful, devoid of any part of their beliefs and practises.
No one ever kills or injuries civilians especially children with the approval of God or Allah ever, for this is not endorsed in our great religions and anyone who suggests as much is lacking in the understanding of the faith they mistakenly link their wicked acts to supporting or justified by.
A part of making it possible, however hard it is to come to terms with such awful inhuman acts, is that very support that comes from love when we act on it, and we need as much in love to act on it as it is to be prepared to allow others in to help us through showing us their love in practical ways.
We are not alone and we have a responsibility to help those who may feel alone and lost as best we can recover.
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