Have We Become Comfortably Numb?

Heart In Rocks

As we all watch the news in horror I can’t help but wonder if we are growing numb to the evil in the world. It is easy to change the channel but with 49 dead and 53 wounded in Orlando in June and 84 dead and 202 wounded in Nice in July how can we continue to look away? It seems like every month there is another terrorist attack and they are getting closer and closer. According to Wikipedia, as of July 15, 2016 there have been 922 incidents of terrorism reported in the world.  Many of the attacks don’t make the news in remote places such as the outskirts of Egypt, small towns in Syria or women being stoned to death in Iraq.

June was one of the most deadly months so far this year, with 218 incidents and over 1822 deaths including the attack at the Pulse Night Club in Orlando. So far July has seen over 84 incidents reported including both Dallas and Nice. It was shocking to see not even 24-hours after the Nice attack, Wikipedia chronicled two more incidents, tagging them to the bottom of their ongoing list. Wikipedia notes the type of attack, location, death toll, injury statistics, details and perpetrators. You can see the rankings and incidences by country. Not surprising Iraq ranks number one with over 2,714 incidences of terrorism in 2014, while the USA hoovers at 38 incidents for the same period. While that might sound like good news for us we still hold the number one spot for the worst terrorist attack in history on 911, when we lost 2996 souls.  Unfortunately, our friends in France are ascending the dubious ranks from the middle of the list climbing rapidly up to the top tier. The disturbing facts go on to show everything from car bombings to mass shootings. According to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism 2014 showed a spike in deaths (43,550) and injuries (40,989).

*National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

*National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

On other sites, such as Islam Religion of Peace, there were shocking statistics with eerie benchmarks noting 28,822 attacks since 911. I shudder to think what their ultimate goal might be, mass annihilation or world dominance?  After looking at the statistics you can’t deny the facts. Tensions are rising and we are at a tipping point. We need to wake up, stop changing the channel and figure out what we can all do to diminish the hatred in the world and strive for peace both in our country and in our own communities.

If these statistics aren’t alarming enough, we also appear to be imploding from within. Not only are our enemies out to get us we can’t even seem to get along as a nation. This is an important election year for our country. We need to elect a leader who will address these issues and come up with a plan to keep our country safe and united instead of divided.

Maybe you’re like me, numb to the evil in the world, all the rhetoric and politics. Many of my peers have said they may not even vote this year. The very thought has crossed my mind too. Then I think of the women who were stoned to death or the families suffering with loss after all this senseless violence and I remember how fortunate we are to have the right to vote and make a difference.

Let’s hope it won’t come down to a matter of self-preservation for our way of life, customs and beliefs. I would hate to see a day when we become afraid to travel or have to change the way we live our daily lives as a result of fear. We need all the strength we can muster to defend against the larger threat of terrorism looming at our very doorstep just waiting to claim its next victim. It’s time to take a stand, get out of our comfort zone and come up with real solutions for a broken world.

Jodi Cross is a marketing strategist, speaker and writer and can be reached at jcross@crossnm.com.