This week, the worst mass shooting in American history occurred at a gay nightclub in Orlando. A total of 49 people were killed, with 53 injured. Twenty-nine-year-old shooter Omar Mateen claimed allegiance to the Islamic State when talking to the police.
America has been in a state of mourning since the event, and also a state of anger. People are in outrage over this incident -- it was a hate crime and a terrorist attack combined into one, and so many lives were lost. The LGBTQ community is in the midst of Pride Month -- a number of parades are scheduled across the country -- and now there is a spark of fear rippling through the community. Luckily, that isn't stopping them; the parades are still scheduled to continue.
The main problem that I currently see, though, is that there are a number of people in America reacting with hate. In particular, this morning I saw this Tweet from Donald Trump:
Donald Trump isn't the problem, though -- we, Americans, are the problem. Donald Trump is simply one man -- a powerful man, but still just one man -- who claims to have "predicted" such an act of terrorism in our country. His solution is based on hatred; ban Muslims. Take a whole group of people and marginalize them.
Why don't we get it? Why can't we see that reacting in hate just breeds more hate and violence? A marginalized group in our country, the LGBTQ community, was specifically targeted in this shooting -- so our response is to throw another marginalized group under the bus?
Mateen may have had ties to ISIS. He may have had a mental break and just claimed he had ties. Maybe both happened. Does it even matter either way? If we are a country based on freedoms, how can we go about stereotyping and ostracizing entire groups of people?
We need a change of heart in this country. Instead of going after people, we need to take a step back and try to understand them. Since we were children, our parents have constantly told us to not rely on revenge, and yet that's how our country seems to think. Maybe banning Muslims doesn't seem like "revenge" -- maybe you really buy that it's a necessary safety precaution -- but at the heart of it all is a belief that some people are worse than others. And if you're wondering how mass shootings occur, I think it probably starts with a mindset just like that.
The Orlando shooting is a tragedy, and instead of accusations and angry remarks, maybe we just need to sit in this tragedy for a moment. Mourn with the families affected. Pray for the wounded currently sitting in hospitals, some in critical condition. And let's make strides to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, but not by banning people or taking away a person's freedoms. Instead, let's do it with love. Teach your kids that all people are people who matter. Make your life a statement that equality matters deeply. We need love, not hate. We need acceptance, not exclusion.
Pray for Orlando. But even more than that, pray for our nation. Pray that we make the right choices and move in the right direction. Because the farther we travel down the road of hatred, revenge and anger, the harder it will be to find peace in this nation.
So please, in the aftermath of this tragedy, do your part by accepting people. Love them. It's the only way this world is ever going to get better.
