In the wake of tragedy, how about we wait a few days before ramping up the rhetoric?

"What a terribly senseless tragedy,” we say, slowing down for a pious second or two before lunging for the virtual soapbox. 

By “terribly senseless tragedy” I mean what went on in Las Vegas over the weekend; or any other frighteningly violent event in which innocent people are shot, stabbed, bombed or run over. 

And by “they” I mean those of us who’re inclined to turn a tragedy into a reason to promote an agenda. 

Look, I’m not opposed to differing opinions or the exchange of ideas.  I’m fine with people expressing their beliefs on social media sites; and I get that a perk of being famous is having a platform on which to opine about any and all social issues.

All I’m asking for is a little common decency, and I’m asking it from talking heads, pundits and political leaders on the left and the right.  I’m asking it of us. 

Is there nothing inside us that advocates for a little national healing before turning dead bodies into a sick political game?

Lives have been lost.  

Loved ones are grieving.  

Survivors are healing.  

First responders are coping.  

Meanwhile, some of us are crafting tweets and Facebook posts all about how there’s no way in hell the liberals are going to take guns from God fearing Americans; or how those poor souls would still be alive if we could just have some decent gun control. 

We’re creating memes designed to strike fear and cause tears.  Rather than being moved by a news story about heroes who lost their lives protecting others, we’re scrolling down to the comment section to direct capital-letter expletives at someone with a differing opinion. 

Once again, I am not saying it’s wrong to have an opinion, or that you’re a scumbag for strongly voicing that opinion.  Heck, I’m not even saying you shouldn’t create a Facebook meme designed to elicit strong emotion. 

I’m also not saying we need more gun control, nor am I saying we need less gun control. 

I’m saying a great many of us need SELF control when it comes to satisfying the need to ramp up political rhetoric just hours after a national tragedy. And those words aren’t just directed to faceless people on the Internet, they’re also directed to politicians, political pundits, talking heads on Fox News and MSNBC and celebrities on either side of the gun control debate. 

Please understand, I’m not implying we aren’t compassionate or that we aren’t genuinely concerned about those whose lives have been directly affected by these tragic events.  I’m just asking that in the wake of the devastation we go out of our way to tone down the rhetoric rather than escalating it.  

Because we live in a time when we get our news instantaneously, and we have the ability to express our opinions to thousands (if not millions) of people all at once, there isn’t the built-in lag time there once was. There is no waiting for the nightly news or the next day’s newspaper, which means there isn’t time to reflect before reacting. 

Consequentially, we get to react instantly, even while a tragic event is still unfolding. Consequentially, we get to promote our own opinions, often with little regard for civility, while victims still suffer and their loved ones still mourn.

Of course just because we "get" to do something doesn't mean we should.