I Have Hope...

Yesterday sucked!  There really is no other way to say it.  Yesterday, April 15, 2013, was another one of those days in America when skies are darker, time moves slower, and lights seem dimmer.  There are only questions without answers, and pain without relief.  This is what attacks on people within our borders do to us.  They make us shake our heads in disbelief and make us wonder what is wrong with the world. 

When I first heard about the two bombs detonating at the finish line, my immediate thoughts were of my younger brother who lives and works in the Boston area.  It took my less than a minute after hearing the news to send him a text message that read simply, “Please text me.”  I didn’t have an uneasy feeling that anything was wrong with him, but I still had to know he was ok.  He is, after all, my brother. 

My brother text me back within a couple of minutes with a message letting me know that he was ok.  It turns out that his office is only a block from the explosion site, and he felt the building shake.  That hit home a little closer than I would have liked, but knowing that he was ok was the most important thing. 

This means I can turn my attention back to the news.  I don’t necessarily want to watch the news, but since events like these can have a direct affect on the military staying informed is better than not.  After watching the same footage and hearing the same people, say the same things over and over again, I moved on with my evening turning to the DVR for entertainment and a chance to forget the tragic events of the day.

I can’t forget.  The images of runners who had just finished 26.2 miles, now sitting in wheelchairs without limbs is seared into my memory.  The video footage of the blasts rattles me back into the reality of the day.  We have been attacked once again.  One of our most famous cities, on the day of one of their most important events was the scene of some asshole’s personal vendetta against something they see wrong with the world. 

It is too early for us to know whether it was one, two or more people responsible.  But we will find out.  We always find out.  Look through history.   Whether it’s domestic terrorism, or international terrorism; whether it was an individual or some group; whether for reasons of angry, ire, or religious fanaticism, the finest men and women who investigate these crimes will find those responsible.  Of that I am certain. Of that there is no doubt. 

Yesterday, 3 people lost their lives and more than 140 were injured.  It is easy to look at the event and listen to the news and start to lose hope.  In fact, moments after the attacks, people took to Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites asking one thing, “what is wrong with people?”  I get it.  What could make a person come to the conclusion that the only way to make a point is to fly planes into buildings or plant bombs at race finish lines?  Who thinks that they are doing the right thing by killing innocent children?  Who believes that any plan can call for catastrophic destruction and devastation? 

To hear the news anchors talk is to listen to those who see nothing but carnage.  Their questions are about blood.  Their commentary is about evil.  Their coverage is about everything that is wrong with the world.  Their words are the reason I turn the channel.  I stop watching, because to watch is to give in to their desire to see nothing but negativity in the day.

Then something caught my eye.  As the video footage rolled over and over and over and over again I began to see something beyond the initial reactions.  I began to look past the runners who were shaken, not knowing what was going on.  I began to see things that were out of focus but can still give us a clear picture of what was going on.  I began to understand something new.

When my Facebook is lighting up with statuses asking what is wrong with people, I can respond with, “I hear you, but look at what is right with people.”  Watch the footage and you will see hundreds of people running toward the location of the explosion trying to help.  Watch the footage and you can see men and women tearing through steel barricades in order to reach the wounded.  Watch the footage and you can see the concerned and scared faces of race physician running into the fire trying to do anything they can to make sure the injured get the care they need before it is too late.  It was an amazing site to behold once you could get past the carnage. 

Former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, spoke yesterday about how the FBI, CIA, and police have to be right 100% of the time in order to prevent every single attack from happening, but the terrorist only has to be right once.  I am guessing that for every catastrophe that occurs, dozens are thwarted.  I have read and heard that these things shouldn’t happen, and I agree 100%, but we live in a world where evil exists and the defining moment in that is not how we respond to that evil, it’s how we respond to those hurt by the evil.

No one comes together during times of great tragedy better than Americans and those living in America.  Our first responders, whether they are police, doctors, EMT’s, firefighters or our proud men and women in military uniforms are awesome.  The average, ordinary, everyday citizens who ran toward the explosion showed just how amazing people can be when challenged with tragedy.  In those moments, when the world is at its darkest, and it appears as there is no hope, I can see more hope. 

When 19 people flew planes into buildings, hundreds ran into those buildings to save as many lives as they could.  When one kid goes into a school with a gun, more than one teacher shields those kids.  And when one or two people plant bombs at race finish lines, dozens run into to help carry people to safety, or bandage wounds, or run for help.  There is no lack of compassion or courage in these moments.  There is a tremendous human spirit that can never be extinguished or broken.  These moments give me hope for humanity because we will endure. 

Mr. Rogers was a favorite of mine when I was a child.  He taught kids of all ages a lot of things, especially to see the world with wonder and imagination.  Yesterday’s events bring a quote of his to mind.  He said:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.

Patton Oswalt, a comedian in today’s world, known for making people laugh with sometimes irreverent humor had this to say:

"Boston. F*****g horrible.  I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, 'Well, I've had it with humanity.  But I was wrong. I don't know what's going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths.  But here's what I DO know. If it's one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet," he wrote. "You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out.  This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness.  But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.  So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The good outnumber you, and we always will.'"

These two men, with their public appeal remind us that as a people we are awesome, because the majority of us will stand against this kind of horror and fight back.  As people, we will run into the fire, ready to lend a hand whether literal or figurative.  As people we will not give up on others.  We will stretch with our arms wide open hoping to provide what evil desires to take.  We will survive, because there are more of us, than there are of them.  And we are stronger than they are, no matter how much muscle the try to flex.

Tonight, I am saddened by the tragedy.  I hate that 3 people lost their lives.  I hate that runners may never run again.  I hate that someone evil won a battle.  It isn’t fair. 

But, I am also filled with hope.  As long as there are members of our military willing to sacrifice their lives for freedom then I have hope.  As long as police, firefighters and EMT’s are willing to follow every lead, run into immense pressure and fight every evil, I have hope.  As long as people just like me, everyday citizens, look toward the explosions instead of running away from them, I have hope. 

I have hope that we can be better tomorrow than we are today.  I have hope that the evil will one day end.  I have hope that what I see in the corners of the footage, the things that are slightly out of focus will be the only things that fill our screens.  I have hope, and that’s something that this bomber won’t take away.