We Weep Together; Or, How To Regain Some Faith In Humanity

How To Regain Some Faith In Humanity
Eknoor Kaur, 3, stands with her father Guramril Singh during a candlelight vigil outside Newtown High School before an interfaith vigil with President Barack Obama, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. A gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Friday and opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Eknoor Kaur, 3, stands with her father Guramril Singh during a candlelight vigil outside Newtown High School before an interfaith vigil with President Barack Obama, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. A gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Friday and opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

It’s pretty much impossible to say “feel better” in the face of the purest definition of tragedy. I will instead offer what I believe to be a context in which to place this tragedy, so that we can begin to cope. That context is, specifically, what it means to be human.

A human is a product of their experiences and the lessons they’ve been taught by factors in their life. A human has feelings and emotions, some that cause them to be elated and some that cause them immense amounts of pain. A human even has the capacity to feel the emotions of another. A human works to overcome hardship and through that, inspires strength in others. A human strives to communicate: to understand others and be understood. A human creates artistic reflections of their inner self so that they can share it with the world. A human tries and sometimes fails without the right tools to help them. And a human learns from their mistakes and aspires to be better. A human feels pain when they hurt another. A human has a spirit and a light that only they possess, and that makes some funny, some introverted, some sweet, and some brazen.

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