The thing that's most devastating about tragedy is that it is literally impossible to escape. At some point in our lives we all experience tragedy. We may be diagnosed with a disease or lose a loved one. We may witness a shooting on the local news or watch as terrorism strikes our nation and other countries. Sometimes it may seem as though there is no real escape from the darkness that always seems to be lingering around the corner. I have learned, however, that even tragedy can sometimes have a silver lining.
Even though I am fairly young I have learned one important thing about tragedy: it only seems to make us stronger. Times of tragedy are the times when the most people rally together. Take the Virginia Tech shooting for example. This mass shooting caused the loss of several lives. However, this shooting also made members of the Virginia Tech community rally around each other for support and guidance. This tragedy encouraged a community to grow stronger, even today.
Death of important figureheads have also encouraged great things in order to preserve their legacy. For instance, many schools have grants and scholarships that are awarded to their graduates that were formed in order to honor members of their communities that had passed. These scholarships are a blessing to many students who would otherwise not be able to afford a higher education. Even though the person has passed, the community can turn a tragedy into something beautiful by keeping the person's legacy alive.
Even illnesses such as cancer have the power to rally people together. For many communities, the diagnosis of a community member means immediate fundraising, support, and encouragement. Thousands of people come out to pancake breakfast fundraisers. Meal trains are created. Children are cared for and looked after by everyone in the community. These tiny support movements grow and become large scale. These local movements turn into organizations like The American Cancer Society.
The most recent tragedy we have faced as a nation has certainly knocked us down. While there has yet to be a silver lining, I can see the same trend of people becoming united. Thousands have rushed to donate blood to the victims. People all around the world are praying for and supporting us. While this has been a devastating tragedy, it has encouraged the world to turn their love and support in our direction.
While tragedy is inevitable, it has an incredible amount of power to change the system. Tragedies cause change. Tragedies help to form organizations that reach out to help on a global scale. Tragedies encourage communities to grow stronger. Without tragedy, we would never know how strong we can really be. While tragedy has the ability to knock us all off our feet, we have the power to overcome and come out on top.
