Your thoughts and prayers
By Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
New Zealand
December 3, 2015 2:20am CST
In early October, President Obama spoke a now famous line: "Our thoughts and prayers are not enough," he said. Obama was speaking in the wake of a mass killing at Oregon's Umpqua Community College in which 10 people, including the gunman, died from bullet wounds.
Has a serving president ever seemed so openly frustrated, even defeated, while speaking to the nation? It's unlikely, though in his defense the president did have good reason to feel distressed. This was, after all, the 15th time he'd been called on to say something purposeful after a mass shooting and he knew it would not be the last time.
Two months and several similar speeches later and that line about thoughts and prayers resonates louder than ever. The same old sentiments have been tweeted today by politicians, movie stars and common folk, but those thoughts and prayers are not enough and they never will be.
Something more needs to be done, but as I live in a country where people are generally unafraid of being gunned down by a stranger, I'm not sure what that might be. So instead, I'd like to ask - what is it that is being prayed for?
Is it that such a thing may never happen again?
Is it that the families of the victims will find peace?
Is it for the souls of the dead?
What, exactly, do all those thoughts and prayers mean, time after time after time?
6 people like this
4 responses
@RonElFran (1214)
• Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
4 Dec 15
The issue is not that prayer is ineffective - it's not. But it was never intended to be a substitute for doing what's necessary to address a situation. When politicians send thoughts and prayers INSTEAD of the action we elected them to take, it's an entirely cynical attempt to evade making uncomfortable choices for the good of the nation.
2 people like this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
4 Dec 15
@RonElFran - I think this is entirely correct. Even the so-called 'prayer shamers' aren't saying there is no point to prayer, but that our leaders need to act less like priests and more like lawmakers. If you are someone who has blocked every move to address a problem, you're entitled to be shamed for your lack of action. Thanks Ronald.
@GreatMartin (23672)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
4 Dec 15
Thoughts and prayers mean different things to different people--some people don't even think-some don't pray.
"where people are generally unafraid of being gunned down by a stranger," Why?
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
6 Dec 15
@GreatMartin - I know a lot of Americans revere the Second Amendment out of all proportion to how they treat the rest of the Bill of Rights, but to outsiders like me, it seems like that has more to do with convenience than with the original, muddled wording and punctuation. I don't worry about my government trying to run amok and suppressing all my freedoms - why is this such a phobia in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave?
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
3 Dec 15
Even atheists say "thoughts and prayers" or at least "our thoughts go with you" and sometimes people send you "positive energy" if they don't believe in God but do believe in being able to send positive energy, etc. I am afraid that much of what the president says falls into this category of meaningless platitudes. That's the good news. Cause the rest of what he says is often problem-causing.
1 person likes this
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
3 Dec 15
@Rollo1 - I often say "best wishes" to someone even though I don't believe in the power of wishful thinking. There's nothing wrong with repeating tired old mantras, but Obama's point is that they alone will not solve problems. It's often overlooked that in the same speech, he himself offered paraphrased thoughts and prayers to the families in Oregon. What do you think are some of the problem-causing things Obama has said? Do you think his stance on climate change is wrong?
1 person likes this
