In the midst of the horrific events at the 2013 Boston Marathon two things flashed through my mind as I sat and watch the heart wrenching live video.
First: There was an overwhelming sense of sadness for the lives that will be forever impacted by a person or persons that the innocent have never met… A person or group of people whose heart(s) are so filled with rage and hatred that they felt a need to lash out. It made me weep.
Second: I was filled with a sense of hope. Hope because, as I sat and watched, hundreds of people were running toward the injured… People literally put their own safety aside to help complete strangers… People, despite the evil deeds of another, chose to reach out and help their fellow man instead of cowering in fear. It filled my heart because that is the essence of who we are as a species. Our true nature is to help one another… And the coward(s) who choose to hurt the innocent are trying to take that away from us… To make us retreat so far into ourselves that helping one another is no longer an option. But they will never win. We have proven time and time again that we are better then that… From the heroes on 9/11, who ran into the burning towers to save the lives of others… To the teacher in New Town who wrapped her arm lovingly around her autistic student as a madman took their lives… We will always be better than these terrorists. It is who we are.
Thank you to all of those who continue to reach out in moments of unspeakable horror. You represent the best of what we are capable of.
Michael Foley
