"There is a saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.' No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster." – Dalai Lama
Many people view Orlando as the light spirited and happy city where we can immerse ourselves in one of the many fantasy worlds that have been created there. The tragic events that have taken place over the last week that reconnect Orlando to the harsh reality of the "real world" have shocked and hurt the nation as a whole. Something that continues to shock me, sometimes almost as much as the event itself, is how quickly we turn on each other.
It becomes impossible to ignore the fact that anger is a very real part of the grieving process. In just a matter of days, the same people who stood united to face the tragedy turn towards each other to point fingers and place blame. Many of the same people who were preaching “more love, less hate” go on to attack others because of their view on the politics of the event. The media switches from broadcasting the hundreds that gather together to show support, to only showing debates over gun control and immigration laws.
We need to take a minute and realize that playing the blame game doesn’t solve a single problem. In fact, I believe it only opens the door for more problems. We need to realize that emotions are high because we are all equally passionate about ensuring something so horrific never happens again – regardless of the approach we believe should be taken. We can’t let the small differences in opinions make us lose sight of the common goal we are all fighting so hard to reach.
It is not anyone’s fault the Orlando shooter had access to a gun despite his background. It is not anyone’s fault that no one else in the club was carrying a gun to immediately defend themselves. Honestly, issues like these that turn us against each other are exactly what terrorists want. In the end, these extremists don’t see us as liberals or conservatives, we are simply all just Americans; and the only way we will be able to fight against their hatred is if we fight it together – as Americans. A society that is already starting to crack will no doubt break when it gets hit unexpectedly.
If we had the ability to predict and prevent every disaster in the world, we wouldn’t truly be human. As awful as it is, as long as there are bad people in the world – bad things are going to happen.
We can’t ignore the fact that tragic events open a huge door for discussing the difficult issues we face. This isn’t about agreeing with every person you meet. This isn’t about choosing not to defend your own beliefs. This is about discussing these huge issues in a way that is actually constructive and help us move forward together. These are the times when we need to be the strongest for each other. Imagine a world where we have all become so separated that there is no one left to rely on when we need it the most.
