on living with uncertainty

friday (10.24.14) there was a fatal shooting at a high school near my home

& almost immediately i noticed it becoming attached to & used to advance different causes

gun control. feminism. native americanism. bullying. anti-gun-control. misogyny. misandry. etc.

& this bothered me

my thoughts ~

please, please, please can we allow there to be tragedy & loss & pain before we make this into a banner for your cause-of-choice

everyone responds to tragedy differently, & i know that the search for meaning is a natural human response

but hijacking tragedy and using it to promote your own interests makes me ill

"We want our lives to make sense; God wants our lives to make a difference." // @bobgoff

Too often we try too hard to find meaning in the unexplainable.

We s t r e t c h some facts, & ignore others, 
trying to make things make sense the way we want them to. 
Just let it be 
& let grief happen.
Meaning will come with time

but it won't be found immediately.
Just let it be & let people grieve.

there probably is a reason for what happened
& it might be what you think (hope?) it is
but we never know all that went into a decision like this
especially not right away
& over-generalization is dangerous

yes, change needs to happen
but first, there there be peace
& time
& respect

“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.” ~ C.S. Lewis

"Some people are more interested in being certain than they are in being right... We should not be deceived by the clear-cut labels some may use to describe circumstances that are, in fact, not so clear."

"If we are not willing to grapple with the frustration that comes from honestly and bravely facing the uncertainties we encounter, we may never develop the kind of spiritual maturity that is necessary for our ultimate preparations."

[source]