Evil Has Always Been Among Us

I'm ranting.

After waking from a nap, I heard about the bomb attack in Boston this afternoon. First off, I offer condolences to survivors of those killed, and prayers of healing & support for those injured.

Second, I'm frustrated with the hand-wringing. Will we ever get to a point on this earth where terrorists and other evil-doers can be thwarted even more consistently?

I know that these types of murders happen all over the world. And, I admit when it happens in a far-off land, I don't get as frustrated as I do when it happens in my own homeland.

I realize we all wonder "why?" when this happens. How do we get to those disgruntled groups & individual actors who decide that hurting innocents is a legitimate way to air their grievances? How can we head off those actors and at the same time continue protecting people who only happened to be in the wrong place at a particular time?

I know there are cases where such acts have been hindered or even prevented. Our intelligence community has been and continues to be a key resource in protecting our citizens. 100% success may be unreasonable to demand, but for a victim that is small consolation.

Any of us can be a part of the solution. It may be as simple as sharing with law enforcement something we witness that looks potentially dangerous. It may be interacting with someone we know who harbors intense hatred or dissatisfaction towards some facet of our society. It may be us as individuals getting to a helping agency when we feel the urge to strike out at someone to further our own agenda or vent our personal anger or frustration.

I don't have answers. I wish I did. I hate not being able to do anything directly useful to prevent these types of attacks.

In no way do I mean to suggest that we live in fear of "what might happen". And, no, I don't suggest we live in a police state where we spend time looking in each other's garbage pretending to be CSI-style investigators.

It's sobering to consider, but evil has always been a part of life on Earth. Since Cain slew Abel, there's always been individuals or groups who would rather hurt or kill others. Unfortunately, that will never change. In small circles of influence, however, maybe we can be part of a solution going forward. Maybe each of us can be a part of building a better world.