There Are No Words. And Yet I Try

The Horror of Violence Against Innocents

I have been, as I know the world has been, in a state of shock about yet another massacre. A senseless tragedy of such horrific magnitude. The murder of innocent children and their teachers. Babies. Dead before they had a chance to live. Pain that I cannot find a place inside me where I can hold it for more than a few moments. 

I think about how much this goes on in our world that we may not be so consciously aware of. Wars where babies, children, their parents are killed. Lives snuffed out due to the seeking of power over others. 

How can this happen? 

I have written before about embracing the darkness within us. 

Sometimes, though, it may be not so much about embracing that darkness as acknowledging it, so that we can then face it and deal with it. And maybe, just maybe, learn to deal with it before it turns into action that then leads to such pain and destruction. 

There can be darkness within this human condition. Wounds that are deep. Sadness and pain that feels inconsolable. If we see it, perhaps we can then take action to stop it before it becomes a tragedy. To see mental health issues. To name them early so we can begin to deal with them. 

 And perhaps we can also see that we can try and put more obstacles in the way of possible violence. To question what an 18 year old would need weapons of destruction for. To see what may be right before our eyes. 

I cannot imagine the pain of those families that have lost their innocent babies, or of those families who lost the dedicated teachers whose lives were dedicated to shaping and forming the future. It is too much to even fathom. 

I find that my writing about this is not smooth or flowing. There is no way to put this in any way that flows. It is a shock, a violent trauma, a massacre. It is pain with nowhere to go. It is beyond description with words and beyond categorization. It is hell beyond imagination. 

Can this perhaps bring us together rather than further separating us with politics and blame? Can we learn from this? Can we allow ourselves to truly feel the pain and allow it to deeply soak through us so that we can remember who we are as human beings together on this earth for a few fragile moments? 

God help us all.