It is no secret that the world recently has been filled with hatred, terrorism, argument, and darkness. Examples can be found by opening any social media platform, any newspaper, or any magazine. Terrorism in Paris, attacks on a school in Kenya, earthquakes in Japan, death right here at Elon. Today's world is, unfortunately, no stranger to tragedy.
What defines our world, though, is not this dark, sad truth. What defines our world is how we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves and our loved ones off, and move forward. I realize this is easier said than done, however. When we are faced with unspeakable destruction and sadness, it seems nearly impossible that the sun will rise on a new day and life will move forward as if nothing out of the ordinary occurred. But, we must believe that this will happen. We must acknowledge that although loved ones are gone and pain and suffering prevails, there is life to be lived and reconstruction to begin. We must feel the destruction and loss so heavily and thoroughly, but we cannot let it destroy us or our world. We must use that pain to build. Pain acknowledges a terrible loss, but it can also serve as a reminder to live in a way that honors those we lost. It would not be fair to those who lost their lives to the senseless violence in Paris if we moved on and lived in fear. Then their lives would have been lost and no lesson learned. The enemy, whoever that may be, wins when fear is what we carry in our hearts after a tragedy.
Instead, we must carry fire in our hearts and inspiration to build something out of the ruins that lay behind us. We cannot let losses have only the significance of sadness and mourning. We have to continue on, honoring those who no longer can, by living in a way that reflects our appreciation for their existence and impact on us.
We must mourn the losses – in Paris, in Kenya, in Japan, and right here at Elon - then we must use those losses to rebuild and move forward. Not in spite of them, but because of them. Instead of allowing hatred and terrorism and darkness to prevail, we have to act upon what happened, not necessarily by fighting back, but by fighting on. Learn lessons from the mistakes of the past, no matter how recent. Do not assume you understand the pain someone is going through. Speak a little bit kinder and do not take anything for granted. Stand up and stand by what is right; speak out against senseless hatred. Send help in any way you can. Most importantly, love harder and more deeply. In the end, we may not, as individuals, be able to win against terrorism or hatred or ignorance or the unknown pain lurking inside our loved ones; but, we can love each other. No amount of gunfire can tear apart a world built on a solid foundation of unending, unwavering love.
