Peace Among Violence

As we allow our minds to embrace violent happenings in recent weeks, we place ourselves in the shoes of those who experienced it first hand. Along an historical promenade in Nice, France, while fireworks are ending a spectacular display, food vendors are still on the scene selling treats and sweets, babies are being pushed in their strollers, families are gathered for a celebration of community and nationality. An outing in pleasant weather, at night, a time of magic. And Mediterranean weather fit to perfection.

Then, a rumble and muffled thuds and screams, then more screams and the beginning of a stampede. The mind reels trying to understand what is happening. From a calm and peaceful warm evening to one of mayhem and violence. People hit by a truck, a large, heavy truck. Speeding through the crowds of people, innocents all. Kids run over, babies, too. Bodies flung into the air, bouncing on the pavement, blood now appearing around each of the bodies, spreading toward pools and then off to a gutter.

Mayhem. Death. Injury. Fear. Trembling. Gun shots. Then the truck is silenced and stopped. The gun shots stop. The moaning and screaming does not.

This is the face of violence in the world. From whom, by whom and why still not known. But we will. The facts will assemble gradually and our understanding will broaden until we do know most of what went on and most importantly, why.

This was Nice on July 14, 2016.

The massacre in The Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando was in a more confined space, but still an assembly of people busy celebrating and dancing to loud music and the noise of a crowd. Then the shots were sprayed rapidly throughout the group of people. The thuds, the blood, the screams and moans grew. The dark and fear and trembling came, too. Just as in Nice. The why was not known then, and may never be known at all. All we know is 50 people died almost instantly. Another 53 were hospitalized and some remain there.

The damage done. The carnage lived through by some and died in by far too many. In their imaginary shoes we try to experience what they did and wonder the same as they: why this? Why now? Why me? Why?

This was Orlando.

And Dallas. Five police officers shot dead by a sniper trained by the US military. A black man seeking revenge for something we still don’t understand. The cops protecting blacks and whites protesting the killing of young black men at the hands of cops in other cities and states. The causes are worthy of our attention and concern. We are called to do something about injustice and for peace and love and understanding within our communities of America. The Dallas cops were doing their job willingly and well. But from this setting came death nonetheless. Senseless and regrettable just like the killing by police elsewhere.

This was Dallas.

We encounter these horrors with tight chests and buzzing minds. We feel the fear and terror. We share this in our mind but not the same as the victims, of course. They know the terror much better than we.

But it belongs to all of us.

We who survive and live on must learn the why of the events so we can better prevent them from happening again. Not an easy assignment. Especially when we are still angry and in a daze at the horrific nature of the events. But we must. We must find the peace in our core so that we may think well upon what we need to do.

Not out of revenge. But out of peace and love for the future.

July 19, 2016