The Tragedy of Hatred!

The senseless tragedy in Orlando has left us all with heavy hearts.  It’s hard to imagine a hatred so strong, that it could lead a human being to take the lives of so many totally unknown, innocent people.  My mind wants to push away the thought.  I don’t want that kind of hatred to even exist!  My heart aches for the families and friends of the wounded and killed.

I saw the news coverage that first day.  Being a mother of sons myself, I felt such sadness for the two mothers I saw being interviewed, not even knowing if their sons were alive or dead.  Later coverage confirmed that both of their sons had died.  Being a mom and a therapist, I wish there was some way to reach out to those two moms.  I’m sure their hearts are badly broken.  Then, I think of all the other moms, dads, grandparents, siblings, partners, etc. affected.  For each one of the people shot, there are inevitably so many who loved them, who now must mourn their loss.

Each person who died had a story!  Each person existed for a reason!  Each person mattered!  Each person is gone too soon!  None of it makes any kind of sense.  When that man, full of rage, walked into the club, so much pain and terror came in with him.  For some, it was a physical pain brought on by the bullets hitting their bodies.  For the friends and families, the long wait for news of their loved ones, brought the dual pains of fear and anguish.  Sadly so many had their worst fears replaced by a deep grief and steady sorrow.  For the rest of us, the all too familiar emotional pain came from learning that there had been another mass shooting, another tragic death toll.

When will this kind of carnage end?  What needs to happen to make it stop?  Like everyone else, I have lots of questions, and few answers.  We do need a better mental health system, and better gun controls.  Those things are important, and definitely needed.  But our real need is for a change of heart!  We need to somehow develop a deeply caring sense of connection to all our fellow men and women, no matter their race, culture, religion, sexual orientation — or any other form of classification used to create a false sense of separation.

We need to all begin a conversation about how to stop man’s violence toward man.  And we need to keep talking, even after the media goes on to cover some other newsworthy happening.  We need to remember this latest loss of lives.  Change is possible.  It can happen.  One changed heart at a time.  Let’s create a new path forward, toward peace and acceptance for all!  Each step we take matters!

Until next time,