When I first saw the video of Ed the Zebra, he was running along side interstate 24 down in Rutherford County. I, like many of us, thought it was some thing drawn up with artificial intelligence. What would a zebra be doing running down the interstate, we all thought? Plus, with AI, anything is possible.
Then I was talking to Nick Beres from NewsChannel 5 and he told me that the story was very real and in fact, there was a zebra on the loose in Rutherford County, mainly Murfreesboro and Christiana. We then thought it was perhaps a joke or a publicity stunt but soon realized, it was none of that.
What followed is one of the pure reasons I love social media and it can be used for some great things. We all shared updates and information on Ed the entire week until last Sunday when he was captured. We would share posts and any news on him so we could all be caught up in the action. The affinity for Ed and his adventure replaced most of the political talk and other things that divide us every single day When Ed wasn’t seen for a few days, the outpouring of concern and his well-being went to another level.
In the days to come, there will be stories of how it all happened and why someone should or should not own a zebra or an exotic animal and we will understand how all of this happened. First though, let’s go back to the paragraph above. Think about that—-Most of the political talk was tabled as we were all concerned about Ed. I have dear friends on both sides of the aisle who were sharing memes and concerned about the welfare of Ed. Very rarely do we see that in today’s climate and my goodness, it was so welcomed.
Now that Ed is safely back home I just want to say this—-Thank you, Ed. Your adventure was our adventure. As with all great adventures, there is danger, and worry but most of all, making it home safe.
