The Profiles of the Dead

We live in a time when we have self-indexed so well that in seconds any one of us can “pull up” another’s information and have some access to their life.

Today, as the dust begins to settle and the now familiar ebb-and-flow that follows tragedies begins its usual cycle I too joined hundreds of thousands of researching who were the victims and did I have a connection with them. As the names of those lost in Las Vegas this Sunday started to stream into my Twitter feed I easily pulled up the Facebook or the Instagram and punched in names.

There, more often than not, smiling faces easily made their way onto my phone screen. The comments below them were eerie. Some made no mention of a persons loss. Some were inundated with condolences, thoughts and memories of the deceased. It became surreal to think that these messages would never be read by the person who first started the account and had decided to share some of their life with a perfect stranger like me. It saddened me to think that, overall, that last photo of a martini glass, or the pair kissing on a balcony, or the clunky video of a crowd singing would become the last line lines authored persons who would have their mortal coils violently stripped from them.

I mourn the life of strangers because they are like me in so many ways. They seemed to have wanted to share their better selves with friends, families and guys like me who now come to their profile and realize that their stream has been dammed off.

Baton Rouge

I do what I can to bring a little joy to the world.
From the words I post, the photos I share, the smiles I give carelessly to random strangers. These aren’t vapid demonstrations. They are my way of contributing the best I can to a troubled country.  Because in a shortened week so many of my fellow Countrymen have died by the weaponry of their brothers and I hope that in my community my good will adds to the fabric that keeps us together.
At this moment, I feel despair creeping in but I’ll overcome it. I have to! I have children to raise right and a hardworking wife who deserves my very best. Tomorrow I’ll smile again at my fellow person and continue to contribute to the better good.

My hope is that my little bit of joy added to yours and so many others will tip the balance to a better world down the line.