This month, OA brought in father John Halligan to share the story of his son Ryan. Ryan, at age 13, killed himself due to cyberbullying and rumors about his sexuality.
This was, obviously, a sad story, and I really did feel empathetic towards this dad, who forgave Ryan’s tormenters even through they took everything away from him. It really was a heartfelt and sad story.
But the problem with these Common Plannings is that I’ve gone into them planning to be sad. I think the messages they share are important, and this is nothing against any specific presenter, but the tone and message of all of them are very similar. I think OA needs to put some lighter or more diverse Common Plannings in. When people are beaten over the head with the same message, no matter how important or emotional it is, it can get old very fast, and no one pays attention. OA needs to do better to come up with fresh ideas for Common Planning so people will pay attention.