A Treatise on Tragedy

The tragedy of life is in what dies inside a man while he lives - the death of genuine feeling, the death of inspired response, the awareness that makes it possible to feel the pain or the glory of other men in yourself. - Norman Cousins

Like many people, I'm trying to wrap my mind around the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary. Suddenly, the third-wall of tragedy broke, and everyone feels vulnerable. It's never a bunch of child molesters or bad criminals that get killed en mass, instead it's the most innocent. People just going about their daily lives.

There will be many debates in the future. Some will say that more guns are the answer, others will say that they are the problem.  I don't think that there is an answer, because the root of the problem is not guns. I believe that tragedies happen because people have lost touch with humanity.

How many times a day do we all avoid contact with people.  Some of us are forced to, but how many of those those interactions are genuine? I know that I am guilty of text messaging or emailing as oppose to calling. Avoiding eye contact with strangers. I find that I'd rather troll the Internet than going out. Others find joy playing video games and only interacting with others who are also playing in this cyber universe. With more technology making the world smaller, it is also isolating us.

I get that statistically these events are overall are rare, but I foresee an increase in tragic events because people no longer understand other people. Without those physical interactions, strangers become objects. Other people's feelings and emotions are just background noise. And sometimes fantasy can blur with reality.

Tonight, President Obama said in his call to action that "To end them [tragedies], we must change." Obama and many others mean to change laws. People clearly do not always follow laws. I think to end tragedy, we must change the world culture. We must remember that we are not alone. We live in a world with others. We may not like the other people, but they're still there. We must learn to be tolerant and sympathetic. We must learn to listen, and to understand the struggles of others. Only then, can we truly end the hurt.

We owe it to each other and to our future kids to try to stop these tragedies from happening in the future.

----
I am amazed by the stories coming from Sandy Hook. Stories of heroes and the people who lived their lives so passionately. I am sad for the families and I hope that they will all find peace.  I spent a lot of tonight reading about the people and children who died. Victoria Soto was my age. I am struck by her beauty and her bravery.

Jessica Rekos was 6 years old. This blog entry is dedicated to her. I find myself instantly drawn to this girl, for her smile, her leadership ability, and her love of orca whales. RIP Jessica and all the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary.