Tragedy

I don’t know what to write because I don’t know what is going on. The sharp, sinister edge of the world seems to be extra pointed these days. There are cinema shootings, civil and national conflicts, fiscal cliffs, abuse, neglect and yesterday, a 22 year old took a semiautomatic weapon into a crowded Oregon mall fatally wounded two people and injured others.

I’m not sure if the apparent rise in evil is attributable to better media reporting - the same amount of crap is going on now as did when I was younger, but the reporting is just quicker and wider. Or is something causing a true rise in disconnection and hate?

Even on smaller scales, I am more aware of the stress, pain and illness in individual lives. It seems that something is in upheaval, not just with one of us but with humanity as a whole.

It is sad. Sad that we see each other as enemies to be suspicious of. Sad that we see life as something to incite fear. Sad that tragedy is the catalyst for change.

Are things getting worse? Is change coming? Will we learn from this? What are we being lead to?

I wish I knew, but I am in stunned silence. While we want to have control, think that we do have control, try to exercise control, the only thing we can control is how we accept and move forward. Move forward though illness, struggle, tragedy, loss and try to bring with us the hope that as fragmented as things seem we are one human family. That as much hate as we see there is ample more love. I pray that love is the light on the horizon.