Mom Says:
I am stuck.
Dozens of blog posts sit unpublished. Friends have checked in to see what’s wrong given how “quiet” I have become on social media.
I haven’t felt much like talking lately. There is more than enough dialogue out there.
Social media has taken its toll.
I am worn down.
The shouting, screaming, threats, complaining, and rants rage mixed against the stream of selfies, outfit of the days, food porn, product shots and a continued run of superficial moments feel wrong. So wrong.
On one hand, the world is strife with so much anger, sadness, hurt and heartache and on the other, the world continues to move by, seemingly oblivious to what is happening. We are draped and protected by our world of privilege that allows us to consume these moments when we want and turn them off, just like that. I am ashamed.
I am worried.
For friends experiencing difficult commentary, opinion and aggression towards them because of their beliefs. I am concerned for people feeling the rebound effect of what happened in Paris. My friends from Ketchup Moms Moms concern over anti-Muslim sentiment in Canada and CanadianMomEh Terrorism Has No Religion both give incredibly great perspectives.
I am curious.
What would I do, if caught in a situation where my home and my country no longer felt safe? What lengths would I go to protect my children? I think I would lie, cheat, steal, sleep with, bargain, comprimise and do whatever it took if it meant my kids were OK. Imagine violence and terror surrounding you daily and leaving EVERYTHING you have (yes, the SUV, the Pet Shops, the Xbox, the clothes, the Macbook, The iPhone, the shoes, the memories, the Starbucks cups, all the insanely ridiculous amount of STUFF we have here in the Western World.) EVERYTHING.
Come on people.
Imagine that.
Imagine what it would be like to lose EVERYTHING to move to a new country, just to feel safe.
And then shut the fuck up.
I am heartbroken.
Is it helping or hindering when the connection you feel to everyone allows so much into your world?
There has always been war. In my mind, there is no reason to take another’s life. Ever. Adding a religious postscript does nothing to validate the position.
Is the introduction of social media creating a new kind of anger, rage, sadness or have those same feelings been as strong pulsing through our veins in the past? I don’t think so. We are so exposed to it now that its creating a ripple effect.
I think its slowly chipping away at this gentle earth of ours and in turn all of us.

I am hopeful.
The only way that anything will CHANGE is by you helping change it. Today, you can look at the world and be angry or you can look at the world and think of how you can make it better. The best work you can do is to spread joy and kindness. The worst you can do is add to the anger.
Make a good choice today.
Dad Says:
The medium allows for it. In fact, it was built on it. Real time discourse, monitoring and yes commenting on events that previously you needed to wait till Noltan read the news to disseminate. We went from one journalist to 1000’s. Each of who can comment, argue or spew their thoughts & feelings to a world of many in a matter of seconds. It’s real time war. Is this affecting us more deeply or has it desensitized us to mankind’s base indignities? The cradle of civilization has been fought over since before we could write about it, and it seems everybody has a historical stake. This is the war that never ends, and we just get it streamed to our devices now. You cannot turn it off, there is no filter. Its 24-7 depression.
Vietnam brought the war into our living room, and the internet brings it into our lives before we get out of bed. CNN chases hurricanes and global upheaval, with the facts trickling after. I don’t know if its right, but I know I don’t like it. I don’t like the way it makes me feel. I am going to go for a walk.
