I realize this is horribly off-topic, but I had a couple of thoughts on the mass shooting in Orlando today. First, the inevitable and impotent reaction of social media, in particular Facebook. I’m already seeing plenty of people posting an image with rainbow-colored hearts that says “Pray for Orlando.” If you are going to invest the time and energy praying, let’s direct that at other targets, shall we? Let’s pray for the psychopaths who keep inflicting this senseless violence on innocents. Let’s pray that they can find peace. And if they can’t, let’s pray that they can find counseling that will guide them to find the help they need.
Second, resist the urge to click on the click-bait. We’ve seen this enough times (unfortunately) to know the media reaction. We are headed into at least a week of saturation coverage of this tragic event which will not serve to answer any questions or solve any of the root causes. What it will do is generate plenty of revenue for those outlets reporting the most sordid and provocative details of the story. Do what you can to prevent that from being lucrative. It only encourages the next generation of psychopaths. Stories ranking the worst mass shootings in American history do not enlighten or uplift. They are simply the scoreboard for a horrific game that normal and compassionate people should not even acknowledge exists. Don’t speak the names of the nutjobs responsible for these acts – they don’t deserve to be known.
Lastly, share your love with others. When these tragic events occur, we are obligated to balance out the hate.