The Aftermath of this Week's Tragedies

As I thought about the topics that would be worthy of writing about this week, it struck me that the news this week was full of tragedy. There was the tragedy of the shooting at the Millard high school and the tragedy of the shootings at a Safeway store in Tuscon, Arizona. Each event caused the loss of life of innocent individuals. Each event involved individuals who were mentally imbalanced who chose to inflict pain and suffering upon others. Each event left us shaken, saddened, and wondering how we could possibly process what had happened.

When one hears an abundance of disturbing news in such a short period of time, it might seem overwhelming and depressing. Some might react by feeling it points to the bleakness of our human situation. Others might react by feeling that there is no hope.

We can however find individuals who are able to to look at these situations and see something completely different. They don't gloss over the sadness nor try to minimize the senselessness of such violence. They don't attempt to discount the tragedies that ensued. Instead they try to figure out ways to regain the path from which we seem to have strayed as a society. They try to see the "sunshine" that results when individuals are still capable of offering care and concern for others in the face of sadness.

Rabbi Sidney Greenberg once wrote, "The cardinal irreverance in Judaism is to be afraid of life, for when we fear life we betray a lack of faith in G-d. Faith in G-d does not mean to believe that sorrow will never invade our homes, or illness will never strike us and our loved ones. Many people who cherish such a naive belief are due for heart-breaking disillusionment. ... To believe in G-d is to have faith that He will give us, amidst all vicissitudes, the strength to endure, and the power to hold on and see it through, the capacity to translate even our trials and our tribulations into moral and spiritual victories."

May we find the faith to proceed to strive for a world filled with compassion, kindness, and justice. May we find ways to use our pain to strengthen life for our children and future generations.

Amen.