In The Face Of Tragedy

The world has been facing unspeakable tragedy lately.  We have been witness to a disturbing hostage situation in north metro Atlanta to the horrific scene in Boston to the plant explosion in West, Texas.

Even while feelings of hopelessness wash over humanity when these awful situations occur, history has shown that humanity fights back. It all starts with citizens who go beyond the call of duty to help others who are suffering during the tragedy. It immediately continues with heroes whose job it is to put their lives on the line to treat and save others. In tragedy's aftermath, it's the many who offer hope during the healing process.

While we may despair when tragedy occurs, the beauty of humanity emerges from tragedy's ugliness. Just like the beauty of the season's dogwood trees, it's the beauty of people helping other people during catastrophe.  Whether it's first responders saving first responders in Gwinnett County, Georgia, or medical workers evacuating and treating the injured in Boston and West, Texas, it's comforting to know that goodness triumphs over evil and unexpected disaster.

The editor of this online site's local webpage posed the following thought to me on a recent Facebook post when photos surfaced of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing: "It still boggles my mind that someone would want to kill and maim innocent people." It's a safe bet that none of us have the answers to that thought. Sure, everyone from psychologists to terror experts have their theories, but even with one suspect caught and another one dead in the Boston story, we will never know the full extent of what went through their twisted minds. Yes, we heard of the Oklahoma City bomber's motives, but there is no doubt that he took a lot of answers to the grave with him in early 2001 as did those before him who inflicted unspeakable pain upon fellow humans.

With all of the awesome beauty in the world, there is evil and calamity. None of us have the answers as to why evil and calamity exist, but we cannot deny this unpleasant reality. With that fact, many of us hope and pray that they will never rear their ugly heads again. Deep down many of us know that evil and tragedy re-emerge and realize that it is all out of our control. Whether it is through prayer or any other coping mechanism, many use those strategies to build personal strength to get through the day and enjoy all that we have around us: nature's beauty, family, friends and acquaintances.

Still, evil and tragedy appear when we least expect them.  Evil is the last thing on anyone's mind during a festive occasion on a gorgeous New England spring day. And evil should remain as the last thing on our minds each day in this country. If we have evil at the forefront of our minds, then the world's evildoers win. At the end of the day, the evildoers and tragedy lose because we have heroes. Heroes emerged in Gwinnett County, Boston and in West, Texas.  Heroes will continue to emerge. While all hope might be lost in times like these, most of us realize that humanity will overcome.

Just like every tragedy before it, there were mixed reactions to the Boston Marathon bombings. There are those who displayed anger to those who displayed fear about running in future marathons. Those feelings are justified in the aftermath of such tragedy. But, if we remain outraged and fearful, then we as a whole, lost. Continuing on,  standing tall, standing proud, appreciating life while honoring those who we lost and those who put it all on the line is what we all ought to do today.