It's hard to not be a little introspective when you look at all that is happening in our world. I want to start a new feature that I will be doing periodically on "Mirror Time". What I am hoping I can get your help with is the interaction. I want to open up dialogue on the issues that plague, upset, or confuse us in our world. As usual, there are certain types of behavior that will not be tolerated under any circumstances but I am hoping for thoughtful discussion, self-reflection, and perhaps some solutions. I don't claim to have any answers or an avenue to get your answers to others but I believe within our sphere of influence, there is opportunity to change our world, one person, one issue at a time.
So with that being said, I would like to present to you "The World From Your Window", a compilation of prevalent news stories and world issues that I hope we will be bold enough to speak to after we read these. Please fully utilize the comments section with your thoughts and opinions. I'd love to hear how you view things in your world and in our world. Before we're done, hopefully, you will see that sometimes there is a difference between the two.
So how does the world look from your window?
A man who stopped by the side of the road to take a selfie with an injured bear was then mauled to death by the same bear. Researchers have found that between march 2014 and September 2016, there were 127 deaths related to selfies. 76 occurred in India.
(Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/05/07/bear-mauls-death-indian-man-who-tried-take-selfie/585843002)
This is another tragic incident where nature and humanity collide. I'm still puzzled by the infatuation of selfies. The dangers of this are clearly in front of us but the practice seems to be on the rise despite said dangers. I know this is how we commemorate special events but some of this behavior is excessive, narcissistic, and flat out dangerous. Case in point. What do you think about the selfie craze? Where do you see us heading as a society because of this? Is this, in your opinion, harmless fun, or something more troubling? Are you a proud member of the "selfie generation"? Let's talk about it.
THIRD TIME IS A PATTERN
(Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/05/07/george-zimmerman-charged-stalking-private-investigator-florida/588526002)
Admittedly, there will be certain stories in this feature that will get to me personally. I think this will be one of them. Like many of you, we watch as guilty people get off on a technicality or a very slanted jury pool or we just see the guilty go unpunished for their crimes. I don't know if this situation is any or neither but this story should rub everyone the wrong way. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the original Trayvon Martin case for context or just this story on its own merits. I'm disturbed that Mr. Zimmerman seems to still exhibit certain tendencies that suggest something is not quite okay in how he views the world around him. Please share your thoughts with us. We'd love to hear your honest opinions.
TITANIC MEMORIES
(Source: HLN video on Morning Express With Robin Meade: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/05/07/cruise-ship-water-line-breaks-caribbean.hln)
Does this story scare you away from taking that family cruise every year? With the amount of money you pay for food and accommodations, what should you expect for your investment? I actually heard that the cruise officials had their house band playing the music from the scene in the movie Titanic as the waters billowed into the cruise ship. That's unsubstantiated at this time but that is a very unpleasant thought for a lot of reasons. Thoughts?
NOT MY CHURCH
(Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/07/609255051/southern-baptist-women-say-they-are-shocked-by-a-church-leader-s-comments)
This is one of those topics that I could opine on all day long because I have lived through some of this but the floor is yours. I caution you that no matter what side of the argument you find yourself on, this is not indicative of the church as intended. You will probably find the paragraph about the 2014 sermon detestable as well so I urge you to prepare yourself. I'll just leave you with a section to ponder but please read the entire article and comment here.
"The uproar was prompted by the release about 10 days ago of the recording of an interview Patterson gave in 2000 in which he counseled women who have been physically abused by their husbands to pray for them. In that interview, Patterson recounted how he had given that advice to one woman who had been repeatedly assaulted by her husband. Returning some days later with two black eyes, the woman said, "I hope you're happy."
"I said, 'Yes, ma'am, I am happy,'" Patterson quoted himself as telling the woman. "What she didn't know when we sat in church that morning," he said, " was that her husband had come in and was standing in back, first time he ever came."
SILENT SCREAMS IN INDIA
(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/08/asia/india-women-rape-intl/index.html)
Are women safe in India? Why is there a need for them to be protected? What is the government doing or what should they do? This story has so many layers that I feel uncomfortable trying to speak to it in a few sentences. I would never want to marginalize the plight of the women in this region. This article offers more than one view on the discussion that I urge you to read thoroughly. Honestly, I heard some things that I had not even thought about. It was a fresh perspective, albeit, disturbing but I want to spark the discussion with all of our readers.
Whether you are a woman or not, whether you have never experienced this kind of pain and fear or not, even if your experience base on all things global only goes as far as your local newspaper or news channel, I caution to read this particular piece with care and consideration. Don't speed through it. Don't give it a passing glance. Read it and listen. Hear what the people are saying and what they are not saying. Very profound. This is about rape. This is about fear. This is also about privilege. And this is also about ignorance. Thanks for reading and commenting on this very tragic issue.
(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/07/us/university-of-florida-black-graduates-rushed-off-stage-trnd/index.html)
Sigh. I feel as though we are re-circling the same wagon with stuff like this. But it highlights where we are as a nation, more so than where we proclaim ourselves to be. By now, you likely have already heard the story. Some of you may have already declared that you have heard enough. Some of you may think you have heard too much. Hmm. Imagine how some people may feel. Just for a moment.
Two babies in the same crib crying loudly. Both of them are hungry. A parent brings some food for one, which immediately stops crying but not for the other, who cries even louder. Tell me the optics on that scenario. How about two families in a burning fire with twelve men rushing over to help. One family has five members, three of which are children. The other family has two grown adults. All twelve men rush over to help the two adults but no one helps the family of five which all perish in the fire. Sound about right?
How does a story like the above make you feel? What would you like to see happen if you could have your way? What was wrong? What was done properly? What's your experience with this issue if any? How would honestly you feel if your son or daughter was on the receiving end of this incident? Why does that response change because it is not your son or daughter? Think it out. Share it with us. That's the first step in dealing with this harsh reality.
This is the first of many installments of "The World From Your Window". Can't wait to hear your thoughts and comments. Thank you again for subscribing.
(Note to our new subscribers: You will only get an email for a new blog post. Other than that, I won't be flooding your inbox with stuff. Promise.)
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