I know I don't usually write about things like this but watching the events in Paris unfold over the last few days has been so awful that I feel compelled to try and find the right words. Those poor people at Charlie Hebdo and in the supermarket. The scene of the aftermath is unimaginable. Husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons gunned down in cold blood. So very sad.
Out of the horror of gunmen, the mass slaughter of innocent people, fear and terror, came some amazing acts of bravery and solidarity.
My heart goes out to everyone in France for this vicious attack on their core values. Watching the images of people coming together to grieve and standing firm gives hope. If only we could all be more tolerant of one another and allow each person to have their own beliefs without trying destroy those who do not agree with them.
Tomorrow I shall be running the Martello marathon and and I shall be thinking of those who lost their lives. One of my friends sent me a link to this cartoon of Imagine by John Lennon.
2 comments:
I agree with all you say. However, tolerance was not shown when the writers singled out religious groups for persecution. They sought to offend. They have targeted an number of vulnerable religious minority groups. They had that right to do so. They should be able to do so without ending up dead.
On the other hand people have the right to choose their religions free from ridicule which leads to persecution in wider society. We know Jewish people were also targeted by the magazine, and we are told that living in Paris is considered untenable by many because of the fear that is now endemic. In part, these ideas of intolerance are fed and engendered by the media. So freedom of speech, freedom of the press? Yes, but with tolerance and wisdom, not venom and divisiveness.
Sara
Wise words Sara, as with "tolerance and wisdom" our world would be a much nicer place wouldn't it. So sad that there is such intolerance for anyone's choice of religion or beliefs.
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