New TShirt released!

Just released product number 2!  Check it out at the link below, and always remember to Seek4Peace!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/293167883/love-share-it-tshirt

www.danilonkey.blogspot.com: Seek4Peace! Interview

Seek4Peace Featured on an Etsy Blog.  Thanks, Dani Lonkey!

I am noticing that there are a lot of really cool people within the Etsy community.  I recently encountered a neat gal from Florida that was kind enough to interview me and feature my Etsy shop on here blog danilonkey.blogspot.com.  Take a minute and check it out.  Thanks!

www.danilonkey.blogspot.com: Seek4Peace! Interview  

Difference in Media Coverage...Are One People More Important than Another People?

So I noticed something a little strange about the two recent attacks that I posted about last week.  The first attack occurred in Brussels, Belgium, and 35 people were killed.  The second attack occurred in Lahore, Pakistan, and 72 people have died.  What I find strange is the amount of media coverage here in the United States surrounding the two attacks.  The Brussels attack, which was obviously a tragic event, was plastered all over the news for several days.  I saw post after post on social media about it.  People were changing their profile pictures to look like the Belgian flag.  Twitter was ablaze as it trended for quite a while.  On the other hand, the attack that occurred in Pakistan was much harder to get any information on.  I didn't even hear about it until almost a full day after it happened.  Aside from the article I posted, I didn't see anyone post anything on social media about it, except for one news outlet on Twitter (Reuters) that had the story.  I also verified with some colleagues that they noticed the same thing.

So what made one attack so much more newsworthy and social media trendy than the other?  Great question, which I unfortunately believe has an ugly answer.  It has to do with the location and the people.  If our media reports what is important to us, then we must, as a people, care more about what's happening in Belgium and to Belgians than we do about what's happening in Pakistan and to Pakistanis.  Even though more than twice as many people lost their lives in Pakistan on Easter Sunday than did in Belgium on March 22nd, the media coverage of the attack in Belgium easily dwarfed the coverage in Pakistan by tenfold.  Don't get me wrong here.  I am not saying that the attack in Pakistan should have had more media coverage, because both incidents were horrifyingly tragic.  And comparing them using solely the number of dead doesn't do justice to those affected.  So neither attack, in my opinion, was any more or less tragic than the other.  I just find it sad that we apparently don't care as much about one people as we do another...if the news media does indeed report on what we care about.

And please don't take this the wrong way.  I am neither trying to diminish what happened in Belgium, nor am I trying to make what happened in Pakistan sound more socially important than any similar event.  I see them as equally sad, as equally deserving of our attention and compassion, and as equally newsworthy.

So if there is a takeaway from this, I would make the suggestion to the media companies of at least my country, that we don't treat similar events differently by relegating one event to the back page, when another is front and center and in the face of everyone.  A Belgian life is just as precious as a Pakistani life.  I realize we can't have equality in everything, and I am not advocating for that.  But we shouldn't make one people more important in our perceptions than another.  We all belong to the human race and should command the same amount of respect because of it.

Please remember to Seek4Peace. 

Prayers with those in Lahore, Pakistan

Another attack.  This time on women and children.  I find it puzzling and disgusting that groups like this are still gaining followers.  But that is the situation we are faced with.  The disenfranchised, easily manipulated, and downtrodden are recruited to perpetrate these suicide bombings and other attacks, being brainwashed into believing they are doing the will of God and will gain special blessings in the next life for it.  Young women are somehow recruited to become the wives of these criminals to give birth to the next generation of terrorist fighters that will continue down this path.  When written in these terms, it makes no sense at all.  It sounds like utter lunacy.  But there are apparently persuasive arguments that people are listening to.  We live in a time when people's hearts are failing them.  Their unfortunate circumstances, whatever those might be, are making them question things - are making them susceptible to improper suggestion.  And when the improper suggestion is made and their weaknesses and circumstances preyed upon, some make the misguided decision to abandon all goodness in their lives and fight for evil.  The rest of us know it's the wrong choice, but that's the thing with groups like this.  They are convincing.  They take those whose hearts are failing, and they use them.  And then they discard them in an insane way that makes them feel like they are doing what's right, even when it's so completely wrong.

This is not the path that leads to happiness or paradise.  This is the path that leads to death and misery.  This attack today, on Easter of all days, will not bring the attackers the rest they seek.  It will not bring their families the notoriety that any family really wants.  It will not bring their cause any more progress.  It will only bring misery to them.  What we can't allow, however, is that these types of attacks make the rest of us miserable like unto them.  We must rise above them.  We must be the best we can be.  Otherwise, we risk becoming like them.  Bitter.  Angry.  Hateful.  If we let that happen, however saddened we may be by their incredibly misguided choices, then on some level, they will have won.  Don't let them win by withholding your love of others.  Don't let yourself change because of their unfortunate choices.  Be good.  Be brave.  Be loving.  Seek4Peace always.

First online sale!

We celebrated our first online sale yesterday.  Etsy proved to be the forum which first bore fruit.  I am finding that selling things online is very hard work.  It takes a lot to get found and a lot to create the traffic needed to generate sales.  I have gained a lot of respect for small business owners throughout this process, but perhaps even more respect for those that work exclusively online.  Social media management takes a lot of time as well.  Our plan is that the vast majority of our business will eventually be online sales; however, we can't wait for that or we won't make it.  As such, we are also going to be selling to people we know and at events around the area as we can.  Please keep an eye out for us as we continue on this journey.  Stay in touch for updates on where we are with the development of our trust fund for scholarships for the children of those killed by violence or terrorism.  That should be set up soon, and we'll add a section to seek4peace.com that will accept donations directly into it.  Thanks!

Prayers with Brussels, Belgium

 Today there was a terrorist attack in Brussels, Belgium.  My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims who were killed and those who got injured.  We live in a world where people need to know that good is out there.  We need to show others that we are good.  We need to shun evil.  There is right and wrong in the world, and the perpetrators of this heinous act are without question on the wrong side.  May good prevail and spread.  Hold your loved ones a little tighter.  Mend broken relationships with love and forgiveness.  Seek4Peace

Seek4Peace seeks to make the world a better place!

Greetings to the blogosphere!  This blog is dedicated to the activities of my new startup company, Seek4Peace.  We are dedicated to making the world better one small message at at time.  Please checkout our website, seek4peace.com.  After the shootings in Paris in late 2015, we decided to do something to try and inspire people to be the best they can through messages of love, respect, responsibility, etc.  Please check out our website and share it with your friends.  We are also on Facebook, Twitter, and Etsy.  Check out the links.  Thanks and have a great day!