A weekend of tragedy, in Oslo, for Amy Winehouse and for Africa temporarily forgotten by the media but still suffering more than we can imagine.
The unfortunate reality is that with rapid media and fast news churn stories like these will be forgotten almost as quickly as they became news, while those affected by the tragedy will never forget.
But the real tragedy? I think we’ve ceased in many ways to be shocked and really affected by such events. Unless you have personal involvement, it’s so easy to have a feeling which is akin to “that’s a shame” and then switch off the TV, close the web page and forget. I know that can be my response, much to my shame.
But these are all lives, from richest to poorest, from untroubled to the really messed up, they were lives of inestimable value. Each time I see news like this maybe my next thought should be “For God so Loved the world”, whether you believe or not, it does remind us that love should be at the centre of our response, that compassion should flow and it shouldn’t be easy to move on. The Bible’s story of Jesus tells of a person who took time to stop, to weep and to mourn. Do we?
Sometimes the world needs to slow down, sometimes we need to get stop. We need to de-callous our hearts. “Mourn with those who mourn, rejoice with those who rejoice”. Take this moment to say and more importantly show “I love you” to those who are nearest and dearest. Tomorrow may be too late.