When you hear news like the Las Vegas shooting, you ask yourself, what can I do?
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
poem by Emily Dickinson
The news was full of sadness, shock, and pain. In Las Vegas, a seemingly quiet, well-off, man named Stephen Paddock went on a shooting spree. He killed more than 50 and over 500 were injured. Those innocent people were watching a country music concert.
After the fear and panic came the shock and the inevitable question, why? What was his motive? He seemed to be well-off. He seemed to be a quiet, soft-spoken man, who got along reasonably well with those around him. So no one really knows why he did it. There are lots of rumors and hearsay, but the man himself has not spoken, so the question remains unanswered.
Whether we get an answer or not, here’s a message we have for the Las Vegas Shooter, and for all of us too – Live and Let Live. It’s certainly the Goan way.
Whether it’s Goa or Las Vegas. We’re living in challenging times, we need to remember a few simple things our forefathers taught us. Here’s one simple piece of wisdom by the Country & Western Group Crosby Stills & Nash: It says ‘Teach Your Children Well.’
You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good-bye.
Teach your children well,
Their father’s hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick, the one you’ll know by.
Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.
And you, of tender years,
Can’t know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.
Teach your parents well,
Their children’s hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they pick, the one you’ll know by.
Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.
Click here to listen to the song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkaKwXddT_I
What can you do when something like this happens?
“What can I do?” is what you might ask. Here’s a simple yet sensible suggestion to do something that can make a small difference – Show more kindness. If you are out of touch with the practice of showing kindness here’s an App that can help.
Pic Credit: Google Play
Watch the promo video and download the app to get back in practice.
Here’s what some folks are saying about spreading acts of kindness:
Speaking of kindness here’s a nice number by Glen Campbell
itsGoa/Sept/TD
