Pour Charlie, Avec Amour.

 

 

It is too much. Too much hate. Too much death. Too much loss.

I had to write this entry. I write this for the 12 people of Charlie Hebdo. I write this for the French police officers. I write this for the hostages of the kosher market. I write this for James Foley and Steven Sotloff. I write this for the women and girls of Nigeria. I write this for Krystle Campbell, Martin Richard, Lingzi Lu and Officer Sean Collier. I write this for the victims and the families of September 11th. I write this for the all victims who lives were cut short by hate. I write this for all the names we never hear about. They are no longer here to tell their story, so we must take up that torch.

I write because I don't know what else to do. I believe with every fiber of my being that goodness and love truly exist in this world. I know this to be true because I see it everyday. Love exists in the smallest of gestures. We feel it in the air when a young man holds open a door for a frail old woman. We sense its strength when a pastor embraces his son after he comes out to him. We give it life when we stand together in the darkness with our candles lit, remembering.

 

Source: Flickr Blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a conversation about hate and love. I will not discuss the divisions of religion, race, gender, orientation, politics or class. Throughout our existence our species has subdivided itself into categories and we have reacted to them and created "rules" of engagement based upon our perspectives. We have learned these "rules" from our friends and families. We have taught them to our children. We have decided for ourselves and we have let others make decisions for us. We have grown and died a thousand times over in an attempt to "evolve". We are flawed. We are often lost. But we are also beautiful creatures, and we are always capable of choosing love.

But it frightens me how often these days we do not.

I will not write the names of the people who committed these horrific acts. They are not the ones who get to be remembered. Whatever guise, whatever mask, whatever sense of righteousness these acts of violence fall under, none can ever be justified. No conflict involving religion, race, gender, orientation, politics or class can ever diminish the act of one human murdering another. These people chose categorization over humanity. It was a choice between love and hate. They choose hate.

Now we must choose love.

 

Tonight marks the end of another spree of senseless violence. I am saddened when I think this event will probably not be the last one our species will witness during our time on this earth. So what do we do? Where do we go from here? When the crowds have dispersed, the candle wax dried, and the sun has risen on a new day, in what direction do we travel? I only know one. We must seek out the humanity inside all of us, no matter how deeply it may be buried. We must look into the eyes of our neighbor and see our own fragile mortality reflected back. We must value life beyond all things. And we must always, always, always love each other.

Pour Charlie, avec amour.