I really like stories of strangers banning together through social media to empower goodness in the world. This story made the start of my week a little less gloomy.
Last week, the horrifying news of the shooting at Seattle Pacific University hit the air. The shooting, which killed one and wounded two others, was stopped by 22-year old Jon Meis. Meis tackled the shooter and used pepper spray to stop him, putting himself in danger but, as police say, heroically stopping the shooting and saving lives.
He is definitely a hero, and thanks to the social media site, Reddit, he's getting a bit of a "thank you". Meis was planning a wedding later this month and a post on Seattle's Reddit page prompted users to help him out with this message:
"This is the wedding registry for the man who subdued the SPU gunman. You know what to do."
Within a few short hours, EVERYTHING on the registry was purchased and a separate campaign (for those who missed out on the gifts) was started virtually and raised $37,000 for a honeymoon for Meis and his bride!
It's awesome to see social media bring people together to celebrate heroes. Still, as much as I love seeing these type of acts, I can't help but think of the innocent person who lost his life in this tragedy. It is important to keep a balance between celebrating the fact that the shooting was stopped but also respecting the fact that an individual lost his life, and that person's family and friends are still grieving.
But a little light in the bad times is always a nice thing. What do you think? Is this support positive or ignoring those hurt by the shooting?
