Over the past week something so disturbing opened my eyes so wide I cannot feel anything but moral obligation to share with this community. We all live in the age of instant emotion sharing anymore and are so connected through things like Twitter, text messages and Facebook.

Although these things are usually fun and wonderful tools to reconnect to people, we have become lost along the way. They also can give us a glimpse into some very alarming thoughts and possible dangerous situations. I read an very disturbing and scary status. When informing police, it seemed to be shrugged off. When talking to others about this, I found out even children in this community are living in fear from other children text messaging threats! Tell me, just where do harmless thoughts we put out there for hundreds to see become terrorisitc threats? Why does a person with 300-plus friends on Facebook see this and no one feels alarmed enough to inform someone that something could happen or someone may be in harm? Why does anyone that has a history of violence have the right to be taken lightly?

Yes, we all display our daily thoughts and doings on these sites, but we should do them in fun and in care. Stop to think: How would any of us feel if something horrible happened to a person who one of us could have stopped from happening by informing someone? When did the world become so desensitized to violence that we see threats, or make threats and it’s viewed as just another thing? Human life is a gift, and no one in this world has the right to make another human being feel unsafe, in harm, or in danger. I ask you please think things through before you put them on the Internet for all to see. I also ask of you if you see something that may mean someone is in danger, that you inform the police or sheriff.

Over the last year looking back at many tragic stories in our state, after the fact they have all looked back in reference to those social utility sites, to see what was going on in that person’s life, wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if we avoided tragedy by doing something before, rather than after and say,” If only someone warned someone this was happening!”

Holly Miller

Albert Lea