Very late on Friday night (early on Saturday morning?), I had a small encounter that made me think.
After being strongly affected by the news of the Conneticut shootings, I commented to a friend that I was in shock; I couldn't believe that someone could do something so heartless. My friend's response? 'You shouldn't be so surprised at the evil in the world'.
At the time, I made some half-hearted comment about how maybe that was true. However, when I had a chance to go away and think about it, I found much more to it.
Why shouldn't I be so surprised at occurences such as this? Maybe if I was used to it, I wouldn't be so affected... But isn't it one of the most important parts of humanity- of being human- to empathise, to feel? If I grew accustomed to all the bad things, would the ability to empathise also slowly corrode?
Furthermore, if I was constantly expecting the worse, I would no longer respond properly to the good things; I would always be waiting for it to take a negative turn.
The encounter also made me remember a couple of quotes that particularly touch me, both of them lines from the diary of Anne Frank- the first, 'in spite of everything I still believe that people are truly good at heart' and the second 'think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy'. If Anne Frank, in the midst of all the happened, could continue to see and believe in the good remaining, surely I can too.
So yes, I'm surprised by every negative act I hear of, and I'll never grow used to the 'evil' in the world. I'll believe in good, and be upset when I'm disappointed. Call me naïve; maybe I'll end up getting hurt. But I'll believe, I'll hope, I'll feel- I'll live.
After being strongly affected by the news of the Conneticut shootings, I commented to a friend that I was in shock; I couldn't believe that someone could do something so heartless. My friend's response? 'You shouldn't be so surprised at the evil in the world'.
At the time, I made some half-hearted comment about how maybe that was true. However, when I had a chance to go away and think about it, I found much more to it.
Why shouldn't I be so surprised at occurences such as this? Maybe if I was used to it, I wouldn't be so affected... But isn't it one of the most important parts of humanity- of being human- to empathise, to feel? If I grew accustomed to all the bad things, would the ability to empathise also slowly corrode?
Furthermore, if I was constantly expecting the worse, I would no longer respond properly to the good things; I would always be waiting for it to take a negative turn.
The encounter also made me remember a couple of quotes that particularly touch me, both of them lines from the diary of Anne Frank- the first, 'in spite of everything I still believe that people are truly good at heart' and the second 'think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy'. If Anne Frank, in the midst of all the happened, could continue to see and believe in the good remaining, surely I can too.
So yes, I'm surprised by every negative act I hear of, and I'll never grow used to the 'evil' in the world. I'll believe in good, and be upset when I'm disappointed. Call me naïve; maybe I'll end up getting hurt. But I'll believe, I'll hope, I'll feel- I'll live.