THE GIRL WHO CRIED WOLFE

I sincerely believe that every individual thinks of life after death, one time or another. Lately, I've consumed thoughts of the inaccuracies of life, coupled with the impact one can have on another.
But, trust me, I'm not an existentialist.
With all the natural disasters in the world, mixed with the ignorance the media exudes towards the human race, one's confronted by the way life just passes. We do not know our fate, nor do we know the exact actions we'll be taking in exactly 24-hours time.
Just like the saying goes, "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why we call it 'The Present'. Thanks Eleanor Roosevelt for bringing some inspiration and hope into our lives.

Every morning, I make my way out of bed and into the hands of journalists from various outlets (i.e. Television news programs / news headlines made on the ninemsn website), and I come to realise, we view deaths and destructions in our world as if they're all fiction. We view these programs the same way as we view, The Simpsons. We read newspapers as if we're reading a James Patterson novel. We expect some fancy detective or mediator, or ..... mentalist, to come along and solve all these problems. I hate to say it, but we're entertained by the news. The reason behind my rant, is the suggestion that, we view our life and others as if it's all fiction. If we intentionally hurt somebody, either physically or emotionally, we ask if they're okay, but in many cases, find it extremely funny.

This morning a bold headline read: Man, 81, faces WA court on murder charge.

Now, I want you to be honest - if you came across this headline, would you be shocked, or apathetic? I know I may sound unsympathetic, but we're confronted by these headlines day-after-day and we just look upon them as if it's apart of our daily regime. Do you empathise with this victim? I'm guessing No, because we aren't supplied with a list of his/her favourite things, favourite past time, relationships etc. All we're given is information on this senior-citizen who has murdered somebody. Murder. That's a strong word, although we see it as nothing. It's not as if journalists expect us to emotionally react to this headline. They're just doing their job. And, I don't blame them - I mean, I'm an aspiring journalist, which may seem ironic, but, I love the investigative part of the process. Looking beyond the headline into the actual event.

"An 81-year-old man extradited from Tasmania has appeared in a Perth court charged with the murder of a woman 19 years ago.

Ronald Leslie Pennington appeared in East Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday morning charged with wilflully murdering Cariad Anderson-Slater in July 1992.

... The cold case was reopened after the discovery during demolition work of human remains, believed to be those of Ms Anderson-Slater, buried at Pennington's former residence in the Perth suburb of Woodlands.

Pennington, a retired schoolteacher, has denied any involvement in Ms Anderson-Slater's disappearance.

In court on Saturday, Pennington, carrying a walking stick and wearing an open-necked white shirt, was told he did not need to enter a plea.

"It's alright, you've got a stick, you don't need to stand," the magistrate told Pennington before reading the murder charge.

Pennington was remanded in custody to appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on March 9.

He was told he could make a bail application to the Supreme Court."

So, this murder happened when I was less than one month old, yet this 'discovery' occurred over 18 years later. Are we given any information on Cariad Anderson-Slater? No. Oh wait, yes we are, we are told that Anderson-Slater's human remains were found. I hate to say it, but, this individual is treated as if they're nothing. They would have had a life, a mother, a father, they may have been exceptionally good at mathematics, and hoped to own their own business in the future. That is me just hypothesising. But, you get the picture. This, ultimately, prompted my thoughts in philosophising over the truths of life. Some live to 100 years of age to receive a telegram from the queen, others live to care for their children/grandchildren/friends/siblings/pets etc. 

In my local area paper, a headline reads "Super gran is one of a kind". It goes on to state that Vi Robbins will turn 109 on February 28. "Vi keeps volunteering at the ... Hospital, where her daughter Gail Avis said she does the filing - and a lot of socialising". Overall, it's stories like these that bring hope into our lives. However, on the opposite side of the page it states "Join fight against ovarian cancer", which brings us back to earth in coming to the realisation that cancer killed. It shows us that cures for cancer, among other diseases are needed. However, there are people who are raising funds and contributing to the best of their ability in achieving this ultimate aim. For example, it reads, "Ovarian cancer survivor Colleen Roberts hopes for an end to the lack of knowledge about the disease". Luckily, she is now in remission and rallying for a cure to this dreadful cancer. 

My ultimate point is, we don't realise how lucky we are. However, we also do not know what or where we will be tomorrow. I would hate to end up in a tacky headline. I want to be remembered positively, with no vents of negativity. Let us all be like Vi Robbins, contributing to our community and living our lives to the fullest when we reach 109 *hopefully*. But, we must also remember that our earth is filled with individuals like Ronald Pennington who commit life-threatening crimes. I mean, look at Gabrielle Giffords. She was the target of a vicious crime, but thankfully she is undergoing a speedy recovery. On the other hand, however, take a look at the victims of the Australian floods and New Zealand earthquakes. All they needed was a few extra seconds to escape these tragedies. Australian 60 Minutes exposed a couple who lost their 23-month old daughter to the vicious floods. They then continued to state that all they needed was "2 minutes" to escape this terrible tragedy. 

All in all, life is filled with disadvantages, and advantages. I just hope I've popped your bubbles in viewing events in the media, fictionally. These stories were not crafted by the writers of Criminal Minds or Cold Case. These are real people and real events. It's not the journalists fault, it's ours - the viewers, the one's who are, in some cases, 'entertained' by these traumatic events. I understand that we must be kept up to date with the latest news, but we mustn't be ignorant. This will only transcend to the real world. And trust me, this ignorance started transcending years ago. We are the one's who can stop it. 


(http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8216844/man-81-faces-wa-court-on-murder-charge / Cumberland Newspapers - Courier News - Tuesday, February 22, 2011 / 60 Minutes - February 13, 2011, Channel 9 - 8:30PM).