Death and Destruction: An Obsession

Originally posted by df1
Name for me just one act of kindness or relief you have personally performed out of all these millions of examples. I wager the answer is none. This is not intended as a put down, as I will admit that my record is no better than yours. These millions of global examples being reported serves no purpose other than to desensitize us to the point that we do not even respond when these tragedies happen in our own neigborhood.
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Not like I have to answer to you, and for that matter acts of mercy/kindness are best done without any recognition. And of course I am not in a position to run off and be a missionary all over the world but I do contribute monitarily to a lot of causes and situations, even if sometimes it stretches beyond my comfort level. There is also the food pantries and the christmas drives (like toys for tots), simple things that make a difference. Also, though many would scoff at it, prayer also contributes a lot and though I doubt many on this board would believe that, I give time for that for whatever it may be worth, especially when that is the only thing I can give in some situations. I also know LOTS of people who contribute time, money and prayers so I don't think you should be so skeptical about the rest of humanity just because you are not one of them.

Originally posted by df1

These millions of global examples being reported serves no purpose other than to desensitize us to the point that we do not even respond when these tragedies happen in our own neigborhood.
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Actually I will add a little more to that thought. (Might cheer up Jamuhn too cause it would be considered good news but these things seeem to go unnoticed.)

Maybe I have been lucky to know some great people, but in my neighborhood where I used to live it was pretty remote, three miles up a mountain. People took care of each other. One day, the longest residents house burnt to the ground, they were left with nothing. The word went out and everyone came home from work early to be with them. By the end of the night, they were housed and clothed by other neighbors. This was a very mixed nieghborhood - teachers, trades, Drs., lawyers, you name it. The next day everyone with a trade put in for all their vacation time. Some of the women went out and got local businesses to donate materials and they had a home built in about a month. (Even got the local building dept. to back off, expidite, etc.) Nothing fancy, but they had a roof over their heads at no cost to them (there was no insurance - it was a really old house and the people couldn't afford it). It was pretty amazing.

As for 911, countless people who worked in the city were there every night at ground zero after work, voluneteering to help feed the 100's of people who were on the scene all day searching for victims and clearing the debris before they went home. The amazing part there, aside from the physical exhaustion it was causing was the emotional drain. Ground zero was pretty grim. People did it anyway, and yes I know some personally in that instance too. One was suppossed to be in the towers if she hadn't been out of town that day. How she had the strength to deal with it I don't know, but she did it.

So I do not have such a cynical view and I do have a lot of faith and respect for my fellow man.

I do not see all the tragedy in the world as necc. just desensitizing. For some, it prepares them for the worst, and if kept in perspective (instead of paralyzing one in fear) it helps them to be ready when they have to face something ugly.

The act of kindness to me can be anything, from talking to a lonely person to make somebody's day brighter.

Money, donations, that is not really necessary, we can be making somebody�s life better without knowing everyday with a simple word in a conversation.

Kindness can come in a friendly smile that even when it is just nothing to us, it can mean a hope to somebody else or in a form of a greeting or a thought.

Kindness can come in many ways and not always we are aware of are giving it.

And believe it or not we are giving kindness everyday of our lives.

When somebody comes to you and tell you that you just made their lives better with a simple word that is kindness.

Originally posted by Jamuhn
And I ask you, why are we so preoccupied with all the terror, death, and destruction. I flip through these headlines and all I see is "Be afraid, be very afraid..."

The news is full of this because that's what is happening. And yes ...
the fact that these things are happening in the world should, to some extent, frighten sane people. It should frighten them into wanting to
do something about it ... if nothing else PRAY that peace will come
into the hearts of the terrorists so these things can stop.

It's being reported a lot because it's happening a lot and it's important
to your very LIFE.

Well, I figure that its hard to generalize all this news. The reason we are arguing is because one wants to say all this news is worthless and the other that all this news isn't. So, you can say that a plane crash in new jersey is worth knowing, but I still think it isn't. Local news of this sort is worth knowing because there is a very real possibility you can do something about it.
But even beyond that there are so other types of news like 9/11 and international situations that may affect your country's policy.

That's still not to say though that all doom and gloom is worth reading. And, I mean, if I spent my time praying for the dead and those who are having a rough time, I'd be praying constantly! People die every second, more than that, like a few a second.

And, I just don't see why the news should tell me which people I should pray for and which ones go unnoticed. It is futile in this way, the only purpose I see is reminding people that bad things happen.

Which is good (I think), but when all you have is doom and gloom news, you start getting the feeling that this all there is. I mean obviously a lot know better consciously, but subliminally I'm sure we get the feeling that this is all there is.

So, you can say that the news is there so we help people and pray for them, but you will most likely make a difference in a local setting or when thousands of people die. The rest? You are just asking the news to tell you who you should pray for.

Like I said before, we need a balance to all this death and destruction in our HEADLINE NEWS. When I read the headlines and they all deal with death and destruction, I wonder, those aren't the only things happening in the world, are they? What happened to the good news, or does it exist?