Today I wanted to write
about positive thinking. But I can't. Not today.
For those living in the
UK, it's been a hard month. On 22nd May, a suicide bomber
entered the Manchester Evening News Arena and killed twenty two
people. Less than two weeks later, attackers killed eight people on
and around London Bridge. And less than two weeks after that came the
horrifying and unforgivable fire at Grenfell Tower in London which
has left countless dead and many more homeless and displaced. Amid it
all is a tinder-dry political situation, a situation that, with the
current climate in the UK, is threatening to become an unstoppable
wave of rage and anger.
In times like these, we
often wonder what's happening to us and the world that we live in. As
we endure the pain of loss and grief we know that, elsewhere in the
world, similar horrors are occurring and our hearts ache for those
caught up in these global atrocities.
As we grieve we look to
those round us for comfort. Family, friends, co-workers, and
strangers in the street become sounding boards for the pain that
we're feeling. Communities come together to support those who are
suffering and to provide a central place for those who can lend a
helping hand.
Often, in the wake of
such events, life can seem fragile and meaningless. We can debate why
we're here and whether our efforts to improve life, whether for
ourselves or others, is worth it. Why continue when the heartache is
so great? Why carry on when someone will come and tear it apart? Why
carry on when no one is listening?
Why should we carry on?
Because it's what we need to do. We need to help to rebuild the lives
of those affected. We need to be there to support one another. We
need to come up with solutions to stop such incidents from happening
again. We need to help strengthen each other's voices. We need to
carry on and create that beautiful and peaceful world that so many of
us so desperately want, a world that is filled with compassion,
empathy, love, and peace.
Grieve for those who
have passed and support those who are left behind. Lay flowers.
Light candles. Cry. Grieve. Get angry. Be with the people that
you love. Give your time to those who need your help. If you need
help, find someone to talk to. Create. Connect. Rebuild.
Like a phoenix, great
things can come from the ashes of devastation.
