OUR VIEW: Boston strong: finding strength in one another

First Aurora, then Newtown, now Boston.

Three major tragedies in less than a year, and these events are the tip of the iceberg.

Sadly, the events intertwine on a level deeper than precious lives being lost in acts of violence.

Mile 26 of the Marathon was dedicated to the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook shooting, with family members of those victims among the crowds at the finish line.

We live in a dark world, but while we mourn the lives of those lost, we can find solace and hope in one another.

The runners who continued running past the finish line to hospitals to donate blood, the spectator who gave his belt for use as a tourniquet and the citizens in and around Boston who offered their homes to the injured are just a few of the inspirational stories that emerged – and all of this in the immediate moments following the explosion.

That’s not mentioning the valor and selflessness exhibited by the first-responders and emergency crews that put the lives of all those injured before their own.

It is in these, the darkest of moments of despair, that humanity’s true nature is revealed. 

As Mr. Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”

The message rings true, and because of the good people in this world, humanity as a whole will rise like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

The true nature of people brings comfort in a world of despair – comfort that no matter how bleak and gloomy a situation may seem, we will endure and rise stronger than before.

It would be a disservice to those lost and wounded to not maintain this level of unity for more than the days and weeks following these events. In the technology-driven world we live in, online support is literally as simple as the push of a button. 

In New York, a banner hung from Yankee Stadium had the words “United We Stand” emblazoned between the Yankees logo and that of their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox, which is a significant tribute to the victims and their loved ones.

But best of all would be the simplest acts of kindness on a day-to-day basis: Help a stranger carry their groceries to their car, hold a door open for another individual with a smile or a friendly “hello” go a long way to creating a better, more peaceful world. 

We’re all human, and we should make the most of the world for the benefit of others – before they’re gone.