Last month was a tough month. The events of Boston, Massachusetts and West, Texas brought tragedy front and center in our world once again.
The news of the Boston bombings was everywhere you looked. Many were exposed to the devastation that struck the community of West. We are in a world these days in which the more sensational or shocking the news is, the more tragic the event is perceived. It could be Boston or West or Newtown or Columbine or Oklahoma City. You don't have to go overseas to find examples. Just look in our own backyard.
Throughout that fateful week, the overwhelming thought wasn't one of making sense of the evil, the pain, or the suffering. My mind kept coming back to our responses to the tragedies among us.
The events of the week remind us of the power of community and the beauty of liberty and freedom in this country. They remind us that we can come together when the chips are down to work towards a common goal. We can reach out to one another. We can ask "are you ok"? We can put our hearts and heads and hands together and get back on our feet. We can help each other. Inspirational, indeed.
"Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live." (Robert Kennedy)
But when it comes to tragedy, the harsh reality is this: we all have some degree of personal tragedy in our daily lives, be it within ourselves or our friends and family. It could be a friend with cancer, or the passing of one's grandmother or child, or the collapse of our fiscal dreams, or an internal struggle with loneliness or depression. Most of what we experience isn't on the evening news. And even if it is, chances are good it will be short-lived, a mere blip on the media screen. That doesn't make it any less powerful or gut-wrenching or tragic. Most of this gets internalized unless we are fortunate enough to have a good support network, something that many simply don't have.
What saddens me most is that these powerful actions of humanity - of individuals and communities - shouldn't just make an appearance when there is a newsworthy or horrific event. Nor should we turn a blind eye to them once tragedy leaves - because it never leaves. It just becomes less newsworthy. Pain and suffering - oftentimes silent - is amongst us on a daily basis, not just when explosions strike or shots are fired.
The power of community is something that requires nurturing and building on a regular basis. Frankly, we could do with a healthy dose of "coming together" on a daily basis - as a community, and as individuals. But it is easily forgotten when tragedy isn't in your face anymore. And I will be the first to admit, it is easy to lose sight of these things.
Imagine for a moment what your world would be like if you had the strength, courage, fortitude and love of a Boston or West surrounding you every day - when times were good, and times were not so good. I suspect we would all be better for it - tragedy or otherwise.
Photo credits: UCFFool
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