Where We Go From Here

This weekend has been one of tremendous heartache, chaos, and anger. 

It’s not news that people have big feelings about Trump, and seeing footage of someone trying to kill him made people feel scared. 

Fear is the universal emotion I am hearing from everyone I interact with. It’s terrifying that we live in a place where the most heavily guarded man in the world can still come within a literal inch of his life. It’s horrific that someone can just climb onto a rooftop and squeeze the trigger before anyone can intervene.

It’s scary to think about what comes next. 

I am not going to speculate about the shooter’s motive or how he could have gotten past security. I don’t know, and frankly, it’s not my job to find out. 

But what I do want to talk about is where we go from here. 

And in my mind, there is only one answer. 

And that is away from dehumanization, away from violence, away from hatred, away from fear. 

And toward the path that seems harder to tread. But it’s the path that leads us into the warm sunshine of truth, and of justice, and of peace. 

The path that leads to beauty is not full of taunts or wishes for evil to befall anyone, even if that person wishes that evil should befall you.

I hope you know that love will win. That right temporarily defeated is still stronger than evil triumphant. 

Martin Luther King said, “The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate…returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. 

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

This, my friends, is a dark night of the soul, one that is entirely devoid of stars.

But there is light to be found. All you have to do is light a candle. And then use your candle to light the candle of another. 

More darkness will not cure the darkness we find ourselves enveloped by. Only light can drive out darkness.

And so today, may we all look for ways to be the light. To our families. To our neighbors. To our coworkers, to the citizens of the internet. We can do for one what we wish we could do for everyone. One small light can drive away the darkness.

Where we go from here is toward the light. 

I am grateful for you. Thank you for being here.