At no time is this more true. In the wake of this monstrous act, the nation as a whole is trying to put the pieces of our lives back together. I cannot even imagine what those closest to this tragedy are feeling and my heart is rent in two for them. My prayers and thoughts are still with them and I pray that God will be with them in this awful time. This is the world. Terrible, horrifying things happen everyday, and it is tragedies like this that cause us to lose hope. What many of us forget is that there is still beauty in the world, it is so hard to see after a maniac takes the lives of our most innocent, but my friends it is there.
We shouldn't be afraid to go to school, or to send our children to school. I read something on Facebook the other day that touched me to my very core. The father of one of the victims of the 1999 Columbine massacre was asked to address a subcommittee of Congress following this horrifying event. What he said was neither what they expected him to say nor was it received well. I just want to share with you a portion of what this man said.
"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc...What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence...No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our hearts"
We have taken God out of our classrooms and we still wonder why horrific things happen. Morgan Freeman made the point that we, in an unintentional way, glorify these madmen by plastering their faces all over our news broadcasts and papers. They have become household names when we all but ignore the identities of their victims. We have sensationalized violence and murder and gore. Freeman says that these sickos who otherwise would have offed themselves in their basements see our news and begin to dream of ways to top them and to be remembered as the biggest monster the world has ever seen.
There is a darkness that has descended upon our nation, and it is hard to see the light, to see the beauty to see the happiness when a psycho decides to take the lives of children, and not to trivialize this but there is a quote from One Tree Hill that states this idea beautifully. In a voice over the character Lucas Scott says, "Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, this hatred. How did it find us, did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us that we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war, hoping for their safe return but knowing that some will be lost along the way. When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows swallowed whole by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name?"
It's hard to see the light through the darkness but it is there. This is one of the most wonderful times of the year. Peace on Earth, Good Will toward men after all.
In case I don't say it enough:
I love you all, and thanks for bearing with me through out my random musings on this blog.
Much love.
-L
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