A World Of Hurt: What The Wake Of Recent Tragedies Reveal

As the news unfolds of the verdict on Tsarnaev, let’s remember that even in the wake of tragedy, the goodness of individuals shine. Looking back at that time with this reposting, we can only reflect on the world around us, and realize that situations occur, even if the locations or means change, but it will always be how we handle it that defines who we are. This is where we were then…

We’ve seen our fair share of tragedy lately. There have been the horrors of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the Texas fertilizer plant explosion. Natural disasters in Oklahoma seem to strike with no differentiation of good and bad. Abroad there has been a devastating earthquake in Iraq that only adds to the problems of a region that seems to be in a state of constant violence.  The unimaginable beheading of a soldier in London simply leaves us asking “why?” It is easy to believe the world has turned permanently ugly, that evil has triumphed over good, and that the peaceful types are merely the outliers in a violent and hateful world.  Despite what recent events might suggest, there is hope.

A few weeks ago, we shared one of Mr. Roger’s quotes about finding the helpers when tragedy occurs. For every one person who commits a terrible act, there will be dozens to act as a counter balance. It is obvious how a terrorist act can have an impact on a widespread level, touching everyone around it, but it might not be so obvious that helpful actions work in just the same way. When the Aurora shootings happened in Colorado, James Holmes caused devastation, but the people rallied against it to uphold the good. Syria suffers daily, laying in rubble and destruction, yet somehow their communities find ways to stay together and remain whole.

What makes a hero? It does not always have to be a masked do-gooder as we find in our myths and stories; it doesn’t even have to be an individual who has risked their own life. Heroes are found every day. They are the ones that help rebuild when devastation inevitably occurs, natural or otherwise; the ones that give a piece of themselves to others. It can be those who remain behind, a person who opens their homes, their wallets, or their hearts to those in need. Through every tragedy and every heartbreak, we find those who play the hero without even knowing it. Their example acts a pointer toward the potential heights that humanity can climb.

The world is not becoming a more evil place, sometimes we just lose focus in the face of fear. The evidence that evil has its balancing forces is all around us, our civilizations and societies always move forward and always rebuild. Do not lose heart.

By: Courtney Kidd, LMSW
SJS Writer