Paris. Oh, Paris. How the world is mourning with you after the latest tragic attacks on your beautiful city on Friday.
We are shocked, horrified, saddened by the senseless deaths – so many of them – and pray for the safety of all Parisians as we work to uncover the hows and whys behind the attacks. Events like this draw people together and the best of humankind is in the spotlight as we react together with a strength of conviction that we will not let events beat us down. Hashtags like #prayforparis, #jesuisparis and #lovetoparis are filling my social media feeds. Social media gives us a way to express our outrage from thousands of miles away.
And yet….
And yet just over a month ago, another hundred people were killed in a bombing at Ankara’s train station – the deadliest attack of its kind in Turkey’s modern history. I knew about it because I have friends in that country, and you might vaguely remember hearing about it in the news, but social media – mine, at least – didn’t react in the same way it has over the last 12 hours.
Today, everyone is in solidarity with Paris. That’s not a bad thing. But a month ago, I only saw reaction from my Turkish friends. And just one day before the attacks in Paris, Beirut was bombed. More than 40 people died there. How much have we heard about – or reacted to – this?
So what does it mean? Does it illuminate some uncomfortable truths?
I think it should.
It’s with a great deal of personal discomfort that I muse about why my (be warned, stereotype to follow) privileged Christian West is more horrified by atrocities in Western Europe than in other parts of the world. Why does our media cover one over another? Why do we react to one over another? Why do we seem unable to separate the acts of religious extremists from the rank and file faithful?
I don’t have answers, or even well-constructed thoughts just yet – just questions. Uncomfortable questions. Questions that I believe we should all be considering about ourselves, our family, friend and spiritual associations, just as we consider the larger horror of the events in Paris yesterday. I’m hopeful that by at least asking the questions we can open our minds and grow – even if only a little bit at a time.
