With that being said, I realized something during the last week. People aren’t bad. Yes, I have no idea how some individuals are able to go home to visit mom and dad and look them in the eye. There are some terrible people who have done terrible things, and when we broadcast their actions worldwide it is easy to paint a picture of disparity. But, I’ve seen the good in people.
Remember Orlando? Forty-nine innocent people were killed by one
hateful individual. Absolutely a
tragedy. Read about it and it shows a world with no
hope. However, do you know how many
people lined up to donate blood the next day?
Thousands lined up the next and following days to donate blood and do
their absolute best to right one person’s wrong. The donation centers literally reached
capacity and had to ask some to turn away and return the next day. That was a nation's response to one person’s wrong. No one wants this. It was one individual, and does not portray
accurately a world who desires peace. We
are stronger and fight back against the actions of such a violent minority.
How about the state of economy and
homelessness? During the recession in
2007 nearly 20,000 people were made homeless due in a large part to the greed
and selfishness of corrupt bankers on Wall Street. An unfair consequence to the greed of only a
few. I remember watching the news during
that time and thinking it wasn’t long before the paragraphs we read about the
Great Depression in our history classes became a reality all because of the
actions of a few. That wasn’t the case,
thankfully. But still, it’s miserable to
consider how many lives were altered by the greed of millionaires. What a shitty world, right? Not at all.
This last winter I spent my Christmas day volunteering at the homeless
shelter serving lunch to those who were down on their luck. Want to know what happened? There were more volunteers than there were
homeless. It was refreshing. People are good.
I
live in Santa Clarita which over the course of the last week has experienced a
wildfire that has caused more than 10,000 homes to be evacuated. The valley has a continual smoke in the air
and ash on the ground, but guess what? I’ve
seen it has brought out the best in people.
Multiple friends of mine have had to evacuate their homes and have
immediately been welcomed into the homes of others. I’ve watched as friends of mine have spent
entire days at the local high schools collecting donations to provide relief
and to support those fighting the fires.
I have friends in safer areas opening up their property to accept and
care for the horses and other large animals of complete strangers who had to be
evacuated. I work at a sandwich shop. I
watched as my boss received a call asking for any help he could offer. He immediately called all five stores that he
owns in the valley and told the employees to spend the next few hours making as
many sandwiches as possible so that he could collect them and drive them to the
firefighters. That generosity has not
stopped in the last three days and I’ve watched as my friends are coming in on
their day off to make food to provide sustenance to those fighting the
fire. I’ve seen as hundreds upon
hundreds of sandwiches have been prepared and carried out the door with no
ulterior motive other than to help those who are helping us. I’ve seen a community form together in a way
that I never imagined possible. It is a
positive force that I have never seen portrayed on the news.
Ultimately, I think I’ve started
seeing people for who they really are.
Good. Yes, terrible things happen to good people and there is no way of
painting that in a light that is anything but unfair. Yes, there are despicable people who have committed
hate crimes that end and change lives forever, but I’ve found that people are
generally better than that. I refuse to
let the newest update on what horrendous event has occurred let me dictate my
views on humanity as a whole. I’ve seen terrible
people. I’ve seen mistakes. I’ve seen regret, and I’ve also seen no
remorse. But I hold to the belief, that
as a whole, people are good. In the face of the tragedies that seem to be occurring all around, it is that fact I hold to because I have seen it demonstrated time and time again.
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