It's Not a Good Day for a List

I am postponing the posting of more of my list for a day or so for a couple of reasons. Given some events of today, it seems frivolous, although I know its important for all of us to make plans and have goals in life (big and small) because it helps us live life to the fullest. A couple of situations, both today, and of late, have reminded me how important that is.

Today a soldier "guarding" the National War Memorial in Ottawa was gunned down. I think you'd have to have an IQ of 10 or have zero empathy for other humans to not see how obviously low and terrible that is. He later died of his injuries. It makes me sad. Disappointed. Angry. This is Canada - and pardon my French, but shit like this isn't supposed to happen here.

People in social media land are posting pictures of the soldier taken in the last week doing exactly what he was doing today - one picture I saw was taken just moments before the chaos broke out. It is surreal to look at. If there is a silver lining its that what went on today in Ottawa could have hurt many, many more people yet thankfully did not.

There is so much speculation as to who did this, always with the same old sweeping finger pointing at an entire religion and/or anyone with olive or brown skin. I hope justice is served - but I also hope its isn't at the expense and prejudice of good people who happen to be part of a targeted demographic. Because when broadly and blindly hate in the name of "what's right", everybody loses. We become the same as the individuals who do these extremist things in the first place.

We don't know how long we have on this earth, and even with our best intentions, we never know when someone or something else unexpectedly might take us out. Or someone we care about. I didn't know this soldier, and its not my place to make a big deal of his death. At the same time it doesn't make sense to me to be listing another 10 things out of 40 I want to do in the next 12 months, when something like this happens. He's not going to see 25, let alone 40. His family and loved ones will spend the next year (and beyond) trying to hold themselves together and understand how something like this could happen. 

So be good to each other. Everyday. Be grateful. Everyday. Be compassionate, show understanding and be thankful that there are people out there looking out for you at every level.

Because you just never know.