Courageous...

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Aviation Nation at Nellis Air Force Base with SB. We went last year and loved it, and this year, it was a treat as well. It is always fun to watch the Thunderbirds zoom around the sky in perfectly symmetrical formations!

This year; however, there was a new addition to the planes on display.

This new plane was emblazoned with "Vegas Strong" emblems. I suppose it wasn't a huge surprise, as it's highly likely to see several cars with "Vegas Strong" stickers and to cross paths with people sporting the same motto on their t-shirts. What was strange to realize is that the horrific shootings occurred just over one month ago, but aside from t-shirts and stickers, life has returned to normal.

I don't have cable and don't spend a whole ton of time watching or reading the news, but the stories that were plastered all over the newspapers and magazine covers just 4 weeks ago have died down. The panic that gripped the city has largely disappeared. Conversations in the break room have shifted to talk of holiday plans.

All of that being said, this plane was a nice reminder that something our society needs is kindness. We need togetherness. We need to have the courage to do the right thing. All of these things are essential to the advancement of humanity if we're going to maintain something that resembles peace.

In the photo below, it is hard to tell, but the Vegas Strip is behind me. Over my right shoulder is the Mandalay Bay hotel. My camera battery gave out just after this photo was taken, so I didn't have the opportunity to zoom in or pull it into focus, but I think that there is something truly prosaic about that...