As prayers are lifted from every corner of the world today for the survivors of the Paris attacks, the rescue workers and police making sure their people are safe, the soldiers guarding the city and the nation, and the politicians from every country deciding what to do next and how to protect their citizens, I want to take just a second to honor the selfless, vital service being rendered by the journalists there on the scene.
I may be studying to be a hearing scientist, but deep down in my heart, I will always wish I had become a journalist. The importance of news reporters' and photographers' work during times of crisis can never be overestimated - days like these are dominated by confusion and misinformation, and fear and terror are born of not knowing what is the truth. It is the journalists who selflessly run into the danger zone and discover the truth so they can get that information out - not only to the ordinary frightened survivors and onlookers, but even to the politicians and world leaders who need truth on which to base their next decisions.
May God guard and protect the men and women who are on the ground worldwide with paper, phone, laptop, iPad, recorder, microphone, or camera in hand, using their gifts of language and art to pierce the darkness of fear with the light of truth.
1 comment:
Hi there! I'm David and I'm /also/ -- hang on, lemme check -- a good 55 weeks late responding to this post. So... timely!
But speaking as someone with two cochlear implants, believe me when I say the world needs kind and caring audiologists. I was blessed to have several in my life when I was losing my hearing and didn't know why; they were patient and graceful and sensitive and kind, none of which is easy when you're dealing with someone who's frightened and cranky /all of the time/.
None of these folks had a grand sweeping impact on history. None will ever be famous. But boy oh boy, I'm /profoundly/ grateful for their presence in my life.
The field you're going into is a noble one -- and I hope you can hang on to that even when you yearn for a bit more excitement. :)
- David
P.S. The Aubrey-Maturin books are EXCELLENT, so I commend you for your good taste. And the movie ain't half-bad either! Heck, the moment I heard the music from the final scene of the movie, I went, "YES. That is the recessional for my wedding and I will brook no further argument." (Be honest: are you nodding so hard your head might fall off? Or are you just saying, "I know, right?!?!!?!" -- because I'm pretty sure you're doing one or both right now.)
P.P.S. See? This brings me back to my point: /because of audiologists, I can hear that song/. It really is a noble job, so thank you for doing it.
Post a Comment