Here’s what we can do….

Another mass tragedy on our soil.  Another 24 hour news cycle full of pain, anger, talk of revenge.

As I watched the coverage of the terrorist attack in Boston, all I could think was ‘here we go again’.  I’m sure you felt the same wave of shock, anger, frustration, grief, and pain that I did.  We feel helpless.

We feel a surge of collective energy to ‘do something’.  Sadly, it appears that the pattern in our country is to turn that ‘something’ over to our leaders in government and law enforcement, while we sit back and fret and hope for revenge or justice. Valid reactions.

But, let me tell you a story about my friend Kandis.  She is a gay, single mom of a nearly 6 year-old daughter.  She has had a rough few years, personally, but is very active in her church and is one of the most generous people on the planet.  Due to her sexual orientation, Kandis has endured the kind of discrimination and yes, hate, that most of us can’t even imagine.

Yesterday, as the events of the day washed over us and most of us were sitting on the couch glued to the TV coverage, trying to make sense of another deadly act of terrorism, Kandis did what she always does.  She went to one of her volunteer events and fed the hungry.

When I realized what she was doing as opposed to what I was doing, all I could say was “YES”.  This is it.  Kandis gets it.  Kandis is my hero.

We all have this huge amount of energy circulating.  Most of it is negative energy. We wring our hands; what can we do?  What can the government do?  How do we stop this?  How do we combat this?

Kandis shows us.  We may not be at the point of being able to love or show compassion to our enemies, but what most of us can do at the very least, is muster some love, compassion and generosity for people less fortunate.  People in worse circumstances than we are.  Or show some kindness to people who merely irritate us or cause us some minor inconvenience.

That’s where this energy can be channeled.  If we’re honest, we realize that there is nothing we can do for the victims in Boston.  We can post encouraging posts on Facebook or make donations from the comfort of our living rooms, but does that really do anything to help our fellow man?

The way to perpetuate more anger and hatred and violence is to hold that in your heart.  The way to combat it is to throw a little more love, compassion and understanding into the world.  Small acts, one step at a time.  We hold the key.  It’s up to you what you do with that energy.