This past week has provided plenty of reasons for our hearts to be broken, for our minds to be fearful and for our attitudes to be hopeless.
On the other side of the world, a Saturday earthquake in Nepal left more than 6,000 dead and nearly 14,000 injured.
In the United States, riots in Baltimore, Maryland caused property to be burned, police officers to be hospitalized, businesses to be looted and hundreds of protestors to be arrested.
And just a few blocks north of Bradley, shots were fired and no suspects were caught, causing campus to lock down.
For some of us, our only reactions to these events were to favorite a #PrayForNepal tweet, to quickly scroll past Baltimore articles posted by that psycho conservative Facebook friend or to upvote a clever (but oh-so-insensitive) comment on YikYak about Monday’s lockdown.
But scolding for lack of awareness or concern will be saved for another time.
Rather, this column is for those who have had great empathy for the people affected by these events and other similar incidents.
For some, there is great sadness at the thought of losing so many loved ones or watching the destruction of your childhood home.
For others, fear of what is happening in the world and concern that it is uncontrollable may be seizing our thoughts.
And for many, there is a feeling of hopelessness that we cannot do anything and that the problems are unsolvable.
The people that have stepped outside their own shoes to view these events from the perspective of those directly affected may not even know what to feel; they may simply feel lost.
Is it right for us to try to focus on the positives? Should we take solace in the simple fact we woke up today and are at a university with a plethora of opportunities?
Maybe; but perhaps this overly optimistic attitude could desensitize us to serious events and cause us to dismiss tragedies.
Would it be better to take action and launch another petition about campus safety, lobby for improved governmental legislation or organize relief efforts for victims of natural disasters?
Often, this may be the better answer. However, for significant societal issues, it takes a great deal of consistent pressure to cause even the slightest changes, and for natural disasters, there are limited ways of being proactive.
Is the best solution to simply pray?
As a practicing Catholic, this is often my first response. But there’s always a struggle to find the balance between praying and taking action.
I’ve asked myself all these questions and many more. And so far, I haven’t found the ideal answer.
I don’t know how to solve these problems. I can’t take away the fear I have or the feelings of hopelessness, and I definitely can’t undo an earthquake, stop a riot or solve all of the university’s safety concerns.
Sometimes, we don’t have the answer.
And this just may be the scariest fact of all.
