Is “Sending Thoughts and Prayers” an Appropriate Response to Tragedies?/Pro

When tragedies happen and you see people suffering on TV or social media, a natural reaction people to have is the desire to help.

Help can come from different ways, whether you donate money to the Red Cross, start a food drive, or actually travel to where the tragedy took place and help out.

There are also times where the only thing you can do is say a prayer for those who are suffering and having a rough time. This might not be the best way to help, but there are times when that’s all you can offer to someone in need.

After people put the French flag over their Facebook profile pictures following the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015, it made me think that this was a great way to show solidarity with those who were affected. Because tragedies come in different ways, whether is a natural disaster or a terrorist attack, sometimes thoughts and prayers are the best way to show you are with the people who are affected.

I, however, am aware that the easiest thing to do is just say or send thoughts and prayers for those in need of help. Take for instance, the shooting in Las Vegas, where a madman took out 58 people with an assault rifle.

This was an instance that if you weren’t in Las Vegas, there wasn’t much you could do to help the victims. Therefore, sending thoughts and prayers was the socially acceptable thing to do.

A person living in New York City would want to donate blood for the victims of the massacre, but none of that blood would reach Las Vegas. Instead, sending thoughts and prayer shows solidarity with those who are in need.

Sending your thoughts and prayers will never be enough for someone who is going through some horrific disaster or event, but sometimes just knowing that there is someone out there that cares about you is enough to at least gives you hope.

Thoughts and prayers will always be a good sentiment that can give someone hope in their darkest times. It can inspire others to do what you can’t or just aren’t able to do for those in need, and it could change someone’s view of you as a person.

So next time you hear someone say “send your thoughts and prayers” don’t think of it as non-sense think of it as a way to bring someone hope.