Horrible things happen. Horrible things are happening. We have free will, and I don't believe we can blame God for these things happening, neither can we knowingly say that He sent them to us so that we could learn. But when they do happen I believe He does give us a choice. We can choose to either sit back in horror and watch the decay of our society, the crumbling of an old world order or we can take action, we can see in each tragedy and horror a responsibility to make sure it never happens again, we can learn from our mistakes and search for transformation and growth in the middle of the present day's chaos. We can dedicate our lives in service to the betterment of our communities and our world and teach our children to do the same. We can collectively look at the horrible things that happen around us as motivation to raise a generation that does not repeat these same mistakes. To live a life in which our actions reflect the world we would like our children to grow up in. A life in which we strive to reflect the qualities of God, to ground our actions in compassion, to have the courage to forgive and the strength to love equally and unconditionally.
When tragedy strikes, do we sit back in horror? Do we get angry and divisive? Do we look for someone or something to blame? Do we charge into battle guns loaded? Or do we say, I have a responsibility to make a positive difference in my community. I have a responsibility to show love to my neighbors, to believe and empower the children of my community, to fight darkness with light, to fight anger with forgiveness, to be a living embodiment of the people I wish all the children in my community could grow up to be, to strive with every ounce of my being to draw closer to God, through my actions and deeds.
We all have a responsibility to be a positive force within our communities so that together we can build a world where we, humanity, are not the cause of each other's sorrow and suffering, but rather their joy and light.
"Be thou a summoner to love, and be thou kind to all the human race. Love thou the children of men and share in their sorrows. Be thou of those who foster peace. Offer thy friendship, be worthy of trust. Be thou a balm to every sore, be thou a medicine for every ill. Bind thou the souls together... Rest thou not for a moment, seek thou to draw no easeful breath. Thus mayest thou become a sign and symbol of God’s love, and a banner of His grace." - 'Abdu'l-Baha
