I attended a program recently coordinated by a staff person regarding the recent protests and violence that erupted as a result of a video about the prophet Mohammed. The conversation was well thought out, deliberate, constructive and interesting. As one participant remarked it provided him some hope that all was not lost.
What struck me later was that in our fast food, internet, social media, quick to respond culture we don’t take the time to be reflective, considerate or even think about how something might affect someone else. There have been many incidents lately and some recent political revolutions that developed as a result of the internet and social media networks. While some of this may have happened anyhow, what is apparent in many cases is that things were not always thought out. People were quickly pushed or compelled to take action due to emotion in many cases. There is certainly nothing wrong with emotion and in many cases justified.
I think of a friend of mine who lives in the United States in Nashville, TN. He is an individual who one could describe as someone who typifies the saying “when cooler heads prevail.” He is pretty calm, cool and collected, but also passionate about issues that matter. Anyone that knows him would admit that they know where he stands on a topic and could probably name how he might respond on an issue. However, he carefully considers his responses. It’s a good example that being considerate and coming up with a plan before firing off a response and in the case of recent incidents, the unfortunate deaths of 13 bystanders is a rule that all of us should take into consideration in moments that can cause our blood to boil.
In short, we all have the opportunity to consider what we are saying before we say it. We need to be mindful that we are working towards dialogue and not just attacking. Hopefully that we are working towards a resolution without mindless action.
