Media, Social Media, and Real Life - A Post for Kyle

This is my cousin Kyle. I stole this picture off Facebook. Facebook can be great at times. Thanks to Facebook, I've been able to connect with my cousins, friends, and family that I haven't had the chance to as a younger person. Thanks to Facebook, I've also been able to learn of and connect with family I've never knew. Able to connect, even if just a little, with siblings I never knew I had. Never knew I kinda have a younger brother... kinda. The sibling of a half sibling. We share common half siblings. That's enough to count as a sibling. I love how I get distracted like this and start going off point...

The most I really know about Kyle is generally what I see on Facebook. He is my cousin, and direct family to some of my family we are actually very close to. He's talked with me here and there on Facebook. Outside of that, I don't think I've actually seen him since we were kids. I just wanted to make that clear. I don't know much about the life he lives. I just know, he is family, he is young, he has a family, and he is currently fighting for his life.

For any who don't already know, Kyle was involved in a single vehicle motorcycle accident during the early morning of August 22. The accident which took place here in Rock Springs, WY, resulted in fractures to the skull as well as brain swelling and pressure within the skull. He was taken from Memorial Hospital (again, here in Rock Springs) to the University of Utah by helicopter (life flight, air med, etc.). He is currently being treated and monitored there, still within the first crucial week. From the reports I'm reading, things are looking positive for the situation. I won't say anything past that because really, I'm not entirely sure of how things are and I don't want to spread any misinformation.

That's really what this post is leading up to...

We are living in an age where things spread like wildfire, and people eat that up. SweetwaterNow (local digital news) is very good at reporting the local news, which also shares their headlines via Facebook. That's all good and dandy. They are not doing anything that the news paper, radio, TV reporters, or anything else wouldn't be doing. I can not blame them or place them at fault for nothing. In fact, the way they distribute the news is very effective. Without it, I doubt very much that I would know what's going on locally. But there is one thing that makes the news a villain.

Gossip

Is gossip new? Hardly. But the way gossip spreads is harder to contain than the plague back in the 1300's. One person reads the post, then chimes in with their entitled opinions. Kinda like a personal customized bumper sticker. "I got my opinions and I want to make sure you know it!" That's what I get out of it. The way social media works, as for the most part for those who haven't messed with there settings, will see anything that even mentions someone you know, giving you access to see all the positive, and the negative. In this case, seeing the negatives can defiantly add more heartache to those close to the individual. For my cousin, he's definitely suffering. His family, they're suffering too, unsure what the next minute will bring. Hearts are already weighed down. Next, the public chimes in, and makes that burden already heavier on all involved.

My life, my life choices, and my life style are very different from those of my family. Regardless as to if you view them as good or bad. I've paved my own life and broke away from things in my upbringing that could have sent me down a bad path in life. Reiterating what I said in the onset of this post... I don't much know about Kyle's
life outside of Facebook. All I can assume is from what I hear. But what you hear is only surface. What you know may only be what you think. Just like Shrek and onions, there is always layers. No one can know everything. No one can know what happened or whats inside a man.

Here is one thing I can tell you as fact about myself and truth.

This situation weighs heavy on my heart and mind. I was with my wives side of the family the day this happened. Although not close to him in general, I still had moments where things got really heavy. We were trying to host my visiting sister in law, and I was trying to be positive. I had to take a few times to step away and let my emotions go. Off and on, the emotions still get me and my eyes water. For Kyle, and all those close to him. Everything any source that says about the situation is irreverent to me. I'm not concerned with a pursuit, innocence, guilt, circumstances, conditions, blah blah blah. The only thing I hear is "Kyle is on life support", "Life Flight", "Critical condition", "Long road to recovery". The next thing being the emotion his friends and family are showing. Their pleas for him to live. Their love. Their prayers and well wishes. There are many suffering along side him. Gossip doesn't repair the wounds, it only furthers injury.

I'm not just saying this because this is family involved. I hope the same can be taken away and applied to all that is perceived. Any news article you may want to cast judgement on someone and feel entitled to share your opinion, regardless to if the truth is 100% or 0%. It's too easy for what may be fact to deteriorate into a fictional novel. Rarely will it paint the main character as a hero. I hope all will consider that when the begin to write their version of the story.

My heart and thoughts go out to Kyle, and I hope his eyes will soon be able to open and all these tears everyone are shedding will turn to joy. That same thought goes to all those who are affected by this accident, as well as anyone who even has to endure hard times like these. Never when things happen is only one person affected by the situation.

For all the family, you have nothing but good vibes and hopes coming from this one. An advocate for the positive. We definitely need more advocates of good in the world.