In Their Honor

First, a moment of silence for the fallen educators and children at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut… and for the ones who were killed in a Portland, Oregon shopping mall this very same week.

Having a “positivity and inspiration”-themed blog, I thought long and hard about writing an entry in response to this week’s tragedies. One has to tread carefully and choose the most appropriate words, out of respect for the dead and the people grieving for them.

I live in one of the two cities that were affected by the shootings. This time, it came within a few miles of my home. I also used to teach primary-grade students once upon a time, and even had a couple of lock-down drills with them. I have to say, this one shook me up pretty badly.

The word that came to everyone’s mind, when faced with the absolute horror of the news—and not just this week, but all the other unfortunate times in history that this has happened before—is a resounding WHY?

 

We will never know the answer that lies beneath the murky surface of mental illness and dangerous instability. Even if we did know, it certainly would not help ease the pain. And trying to find national solutions to this recurring problem will be a tedious and difficult road. Singer/songwriter Dan Bern composed a song after one of the very first school slayings, called “Kids’ Prayer.” His lyrics are poignant, thought-provoking, wise, and maybe just a little soothing as he offers a touching litany of possible solutions and hope.

After reading several conversations online in various social networks, a recurring phrase seems to come up in response to random killings time and time again. “What has happened to this world? The whole world’s gone crazy.” This was the sweeping statement uttered for all the other mass shootings, the heinous crimes, the 9/11 tragedies, terrorist bombings, each and every war, the Holocaust, and a list of crimes that goes on and on into the annals of history.

The thought that keeps coming to me, from the depths of my soul, is this: 

Evil things keep happening to innocent people in this world. But it’s doesn’t mean the whole world has gone crazy. It means some seriously disturbed and sick people have exacted their power to harm others. They are but a few, versus the thousands of good and loving people that never get sensationalized media attention. For every bombing or shooting, covered and exploited with hours and days of news reports, there are hundreds of random acts of compassion and goodness happening at the same time. Homeless people being fed and sheltered, people from all over the globe doing volunteer work in third world nations, Christmas gifts and dinners being donated to families who are poverty-stricken and would have otherwise gone without, charities raising money for important humanitarian or medical research causes, choirs going to sing and visit at nursing homes and hospitals, where the weary and lonely could use a heartwarming infusion of cheer and good will toward all, everyday people holding the door open for package-laden mothers pushing strollers, or standing up to give bus seats to elderly passengers, kids reaching out and asking the new kids in school to play, or even just a tiny little baby—doing his or her part too—by simply smiling up at a stranger in line at the grocery who was having a really crappy day until that moment.

I don’t know about you, but I will not let this handful of individuals—who have had something go terribly wrong in their brain and done massive amounts of damage to people—define the state of my world. I will not let them cast a lingering shadow on the way I see my fellow humans, so many of whom are doing massive amounts of good. I will not let those random acts of compassion and love be done in vain.

With monumental respect for those who lost their lives this week and in the past to senseless violence, I feel I owe them this: 

In their honor, I will never give up on the goodness of the human race and the world in which we live. I will be there for people to help with the healing. I will be there for them to lend a kind word or deed. Even in times of personal adversity, I will try to always be the voice of inspiration and hope, and to help lift people up and direct them to better-feeling thoughts. I will focus on and contribute to how I want the world to be, rather than focusing on what is wrong and horrible.  No matter what unfathomable evil takes place in our world, I will wipe the tears from my eyes, take a deep breath, and remember what is still right and good. I will focus on the capacity of most people to love and unify. 

This, to me, is the most productive thing I can do with the energy from the feelings that this week’s events have evoked.

This morning, a good friend of mine posted a quote from Leo Tolstoy on Facebook. I had never heard this quote before, but it certainly hit home. Thank you, Stephanie.

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world." 

~ Mister Rogers

“Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.”

~ Leo Tolstoy