My Sharing With The World What One Is Praying About Pet Peeve

I am probably totally wrong-headed about one of my particularly precise pet peeves, sort of like when Seinfeld went against the hugging masses and made clear his aversion to being hugged by strangers for no particular good reason.

I have had issues, a time or two, like Seinfeld, with what I characterize as Hug Monkeys.

But, excessive hugging is not what I am pet peeving about here.

A tragedy occurs. Let's say, for example, when massive tornadoes do massive damage, with death and destruction, mortifying the world at the horror of the calamity, it bugs me when someone in something like Facebook or Twitter feels compelled to share that "my prayers go out to the victims and their families and I pray for their recovery from this tragedy."

Or variations to that effect.

Sharing this sentiment just seems incredibly shallow, self-serving and meaningless to me.

Now, let's take my good friend, Ian Somerhalder's, tweek above. I don't know to which bad thing he is referring, Sandy Hook, Superstorm Sandy, the Philippine typhoon, Oklahoma tornadoes, or what.

What I do know is that the way Ian Somerhalder expresses his feelings regarding whatever tragedy he is talking about strikes me as meaningful and sincere and devoid of sharing that he is praying about it.

It strikes me that informing people that your prayers are going out to this that or the other thing comes across as smarmy and self-serving. And very shallow.

To my way of seeing the world I believe the vast majority of humans, world-wide, are good people with good hearts who wish well to the rest of humanity, and who, when learning of a tragedy, feel empathy for the victims, whether the tragedy is a mass murder, bombing, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, epidemic or any other type calamity.

In other words, the good thoughts, prayers and well wishes of humanity, world-wide, go out to people suffering, world-wide.

When someone shares in a venue like Facebook, or Twitter, some specific instance which they are deigning to bless with their prayer power it makes me wonder, what with specifically focusing on one tragedy, like a tornado in Oklahoma, are you not praying for the other woes that occurred in the world that day?

If a person found themselves totally touched by the effects of a disaster and wanted to share with others how  touched they were by the tragedy, saying something like I wish there was some way I could help, besides donating money, well, that seems like a sincere, meaningful sentiment.

But, sharing that your prayers go out to this that or the other thing, well, like I already said, strikes me as smarmy and self-serving and, essentially, meaningless.

And, also, like I already said, I am likely wrongheaded about this particular pet peeve, but, even if I am wrong-headed about this particular pet peeve, nothing is going to alter the way I react when I read someone sharing with others what they are praying about....