This morning when I woke up it was with much sadness that I read about the attack that happened in Nice, France, where a truck drove into a crowd of people, killing over 80.

What was even sadder is that every day around the world people are killed in so many senseless acts of violence.  Syria, Baghdad, Orlando, Paris… – those are just some of the more known ones.  But there is also the woman who gets raped and killed while out jogging, or the man robbed and shot dead, while waiting for a train.  And sometimes it feels to me that as a world we have become so desensitised to this; it’s only the latest event that makes the headlines for a day or so and then we move on… So much suffering because of  race, religion, sexual preference… because of evil.

I believe Mother Theresa said “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

There ARE more good in this world than evil.  There are more of us that believe it the value of respecting one another; of allowing our fellow human beings to live in peace in this world.  It is not whether your religion is Christianity or Islam that counts… or if you love a woman or a man… it’s not a black or white life that matters… all innocent lives matter.  Let us respect that; let us live that value – and even if alone we can’t change the world, we can pray that by doing this we will lead by example and that we will leave a better and more peaceful, respectful world for our children and those to come after us.

I leave you with a song from a Just Jinjer, a South African band.  It was written a couple of years ago but as relevant today as it was then.  On my way to work this morning I could not help but think of the first few lines…

if there is grace in this world
if there is light on this earth
let us use it
let us see it
starting right now

can we be down with ourselves
respectful and mindful of one, of one another
your significant other
your sister, your brother

peace, love, more tolerance
faith, hope, trust in the same name of god

peace, love, more tolerance
faith, hope, trust in the same god in whose
name we die for, take an innocent life for
that’s not what he means
and it doesn’t matter what book you read

It’s called “What he means” – and it’s worth listening to it here.

Let us not just pray for Nice today…

let us pray for the world.