Finding the Good in Balloon Boy

3admin • 23rd Oct 2009 • Posts • balloon boy, compassion, faith

So this last week I’ve spent a fair bit of time struggling with the events surrounding Balloon Boy, Falcon Heene. Not that you need the reminder, but I’m speaking of the spectacle that occurred near Fort Collins, Colorado last week. Richard and Mayumi Heene reported to the media and authorities that their son, Falcon, was floating un-tethered across the plains of Colorado in a weather balloon. As a parent of three, my heart sank at the thought. I, like so many other wonks that are glued to TweetDeck throughout the day, followed the chatter online, turning from time-to-time to watch CNN’s live video feed on the television.

I feel like I’ve been duped. And we all had. Not that the boy actually wasn’t in the balloon, but that someone had calculated and planned the scheme. By this point, we should all be conditioned to second guess and question the often sensationalized 24/7 coverage of news that we are bombarded with every day, but this was very different. This was the story of a child. When a child is in danger you don’t question, you take action. The crime here is that Richard and Mayumi Heene cried wolf, compromising the security of their child, and breaking a sacred trust with their neighbors and friends.

I’m resigned that I will not simply pass this off as another publicity stunt. There’s a teaching/learning moment here.

In times of tragedy, and even publicity stunts, there are moments of true compassion. As I watched the online chatter and the live video feed, I witnessed hundreds of thousands of people rallied together in prayer for the safe return of this boy. This gives me hope that in a world where parents are willing to exploit their children to make a buck, deep in our hearts, many of us still possess true love and compassion for our neighbor. So when I reflect on the story of the Balloon Boy, I will think of the Adam’s County sheriff chasing down an empty balloon across Colorado’s dusty plains. He symbolizes what many of us wanted to do at the time - it’s faith in action in its truest form.