Speechless.
This is how so many of us have felt in the wake of so many recent events. But perhaps never more so than after the rampage in Las Vegas — the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.
There are simply no words to describe our reaction to an incident as horrid as this. Anger, despair, sadness, grief and shock might come to mind. But, all too often, what actually comes out of our mouth is silence. Something this awful and incomprehensible takes our breath away.
Why don’t we speak up? I believe it’s because we are terrified of being rendered helpless. And devastating events such as these remind us just how little control we really have.
For there is no plausible way to eradicate evil. It can weave its way into our lives by any means possible. To put a spin on an iconic line from Jurassic Park, “Evil finds a way.”
This is extremely unsettling. It undermines any attempts to fully contain the effects of evil. And it proves that a concert in the open desert outside of Indio, California is no safer than one in the shadow of the Las Vegas Strip.
There is no amount of planning that can lower the threat level to zero. Evil is pervasive enough to skirt any barriers we might throw in its way.
If you’re questioning this point, remember that the Twin Towers in New York were designed to withstand airplane strikes. But those best-laid plans went down with the towers on one of the darkest days in American history.
So, if evil is unpreventable, what can we do to respond to it?
We can start by banding together.
You see, evil lurks in the darkest, loneliest places. It thrives in environments of division and doubt.
But, by teaming up with our friends and neighbors, we can find strength in numbers. By emphasizing our commonalities over our differences, we can draw light to the shadowy areas where evil would otherwise populate.
And by giving evil less room to operate, we give ourselves a greater change to build trust. This, in turn, can lead to a safer community — one aligned on the commonality of goodness.
While these initiatives can never bring back those lost to acts of evil, it will at least help us build a world that properly honors their memory.
Yes, ending evil may be a tall order. But the start of that process is certainly within our grasp.
Let’s get to work.