This past week was tumultuous for society. The beloved Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France caught on fire. No one was injured and there were no reported deaths but this event received around the clock news coverage. Sri Lanka was the target of multiple suicide bombings in churches and hotels on Easter Sunday which resulted in the deaths of over 290 people. According to CNN, there were three reported bombings in three separate hotels and three bombings in churches in Sri Lanka’s capital city, Colombo. This tragedy didn’t get much major news coverage, and was insufficiently supported compared to that of Notre Dame’s burning.

Many people were outraged about Notre Dame’s burning and many pledged their monetary support in the rebuilding. Notably, the United State’s contribution on President Trump’s behalf was not well-received by the general public. Many people voiced their opinions about how the president should focus his rebuilding efforts on more domestic issues like historically black churches being burned in the south, or the Flint, Michigan water crisis. While these people were right with their outrage and protests, there wasn’t a huge reaction from people who were supporting the other causes. The Sri Lanka bombings went almost unreported until after Easter Sunday had passed. Whether it was because of the holiday, or because people weren’t concerned with an act of violence a world away, the lack of reaction and compassion from people is concerning.

Events like this happen often in our modern society. Violence fills the news, our countries and everything in sight. But that doesn’t mean that each tragedy doesn’t deserve their own moments of reflection.

Almost every person that had been to Notre Dame posted a photo on social media about their devastation about the historic cathedral. While there was history lost, the cathederal was going through renovations and most of the historic parts of it were preserved. There were no deaths, and while this was a historical tragedy, it doesn’t amount to the lives lost in Sri Lanka.

Almost 300 people lost their lives when they woke up on Sunday morning. There wasn’t outrage, there weren’t multiple GoFundMe accounts trying to support this country. People went on about their Sundays like it was any other week and didn’t think twice about what had happened.

Compassion and empathy are free. They don’t cost anything and can be used and executed for nearly nothing. It doesn’t hurt to care. It doesn’t hurt to mourn for a country facing a tragedy they had been warned about for month. You’re not going to lose anything by caring about all things. But when you pick and choose what to be outraged about, you’re really only putting yourself in a box about what you should or shouldn’t support. The world is a scary place, a place that’s only getting scarier. Be empathetic and care, the world needs it.

Opinions expressed in The Nevada Sagebrush are solely those of the author and do not necessarily express the views of The Sagebrush or its staff. Jacey Gonzalez is a student at the University of Nevada and studies journalism. She can be reached at jaceygonzalez@sagebrush.unr.ed and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.