June 12, 2016. 2:31 p.m. Early this morning at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, 49 people were murdered by a lone gunman. Fifty-three were injured. Fifty dead including the shooter, 53 injured.
"Write hard and clear about what hurts." - Ernest Hemingway
Today, the background image on my phone's lock screen seems all too applicable. The typewriter print on yellowed paper haunts very tangible hurt. Fear has bled into mundane, everyday life.
Well, Hemingway, this is what hurts. Those solid facts of these events leave me numbed in pain. There isn't a manual on how to cope with mass murder; it isn't something you can just mull over and process. It is pain that claws away at any restraint and demands to be acknowledged. The New York Times article I read in a daze of disbelief labeled this attack as one of the deadliest mass shootings in United States history. That is not a statistic that can be patched over.
Undoubtedly a hate crime, this crime overflows into an act of terrorism. It serves as a stark reminder that terrorism is intrinsically effective. Terror strips away rationality. It prays on the dishearteningly universal feeling of fear. Fear pulls at every string until only the scared, defensive pieces of humanity remain. However, love, the only combatant of fear, will always be there to begin picking up the missing pieces. As long as there is goodness, strong community and positivity, love will always conquer fear.
June 14, 2016. 10:51 a.m. Love has overwhelmed the LGBTQ+ community and the Orlando community in the past days. So many people have chosen love over fear. There have been numerous memorials and vigils held for the lives lost and those coping with loss. The media continues to share the stories of those effected. Sidewalks lie filled with chalk rainbows and words of consolation. Evil and persecution may always exist, but love will always be there to mourn with and support the afflicted. In these vulnerable times it is important to choose love over fear and action over apathy. There will always be strength in numbers, strength to impact and empower.
I encourage every single person who feels hurt, angered or saddened by the state of United States weapons laws to take action. Research and educate yourself. Channel your feelings into productivity and change. Call, email, tweet or write to your Senators and Representatives to be a voice for change.
"I'm afraid that you feel helpless and hopeless and small. And the more you allow yourself to feel that way, the less you think you are capable of, but if you accept that you can do something...then do it." - Hannah Hart, "I'm Afraid of You"