It’s hardly consoling enough to the emotionally traumatized and grief stricken, but the absolute, worst thing that could have happened in Orlando last month didn’t. That would have been that nothing good came from abject evil.
Twisted jihadism, perverted Islam and yet-to-be-determined subplots wreaked unconscionably horrific depravity on our society. While it was the Pulse nightclub–and its LGBT clientele–that were lethally victimized, it was humanity at large that was targeted.
And responded.
The outpouring of sympathy and empathy–and donated blood–was pronounced and powerful. Too bad a tipping point had to come with horror and tragedy.
Orlando was not something awful that happened to “them.” It was something awful inflicted upon “us.”
The lens of humanity has been focused like never before on what we all have in common–not in contrast because of our sexual-orientation differences. This was about that which makes us part of the family of mankind, not about that which makes us different family members.