Tornado strikes church during services.
Earthquake-tsunami wipes out coastal towns.
Cars fly off collapsed bridge.
Airplane flies off the end of the icy runway.
Gunman opens fire on campus/ theater/ crowd.
Tyrants torture.
Armies conquer.
Famine spreads.
Economies collapse.

We can learn from hard experience.
We can plan better, build stronger,
act more wisely, strive for peace.
We can have more
armed people,
security guards,
everyday citizens packing,
balanced self-government,
fortified defenses,
wise diplomacy.
We may even find a kind of international peace and unity.
The degree of disaster can be tempered, but
murder and disaster can not be prevented.
Not entirely.

The unspeakable horror that is too common,
the psychopath, the sociopath, the unhinged mind,
devoid of all social, moral, spiritual self-governance,
a conduit for catastrophe beyond comprehension.

Our hearts go numb with shock at first.
Anger and disgust may pass through our minds.
We imagine the horror endured as if we were there.
Then the kindred spirit takes over.

We mourn with the living.

The dead will be comforted beyond.
The wounded need mighty care and prayer.
The families and communities need to heal,
as much as healing and recovery is possible.
We mourn, we weep, we cry out to the Almighty.
We bury our dead, grieve deeply.

Our connection with one another has grown exponentially.
Even as we become five, six, seven billions,
we are as close to each other as the nearest cell.

Every caring person is affected.
Some rush with chainsaws to help
the tornado-ravaged city.
Some donate blood and goods, cash and time.
If nothing else can be done,
we mourn and pray with the affected.
So we appreciate the information.
It's hard to bear the news.
But we appreciate the news.

Chatting online and suddenly someone says, it's an earthquake!
An earnest radio voice reports on the horror,
with passion, with sympathy, without exaggeration.
A neighbor asks, have you heard about the explosion?
These messengers are respectful.

In the old pop news media,
so often, the presentation
is distasteful.
The bad news is bad enough.
The frame they put upon it doesn't help.

Pop news celebrates the aberration,
because aberrance is sensational.
Man bites dog, they call it in the news biz.

After the plane crashes, after the terrorist attacks,
the tabloids scream with fear-inducing details,
fat headlines and frightening photos.
Watch our channel!
Buy our paper!
Read our website!
Be afraid!
The politicians and newcasters consort
to rush to capitalize on tragedy,
get their faces associated with the madman's,
their names among the headlines,
their propaganda entangled with the tragedy.

They don't recall the absolutely incredible
record of airplane safety,
how many peacefully attended the theater,
how well the infrastructure held up today,
how many people do not want to kill you,
or the magnificent stories of everyday heroes.
That isn't sexed-up. That doesn't sell.

The relatively small event
is framed as if it were all-encompassing.
You are doomed.
All is lost.
Live in fear, despair, depression.
This is a vale of tears.
The Devil wants you to think no one's in charge.

But.
Someone is in charge.
You are blessed.
Live in hope, with sincere faith.
Appreciate the everyday miracle.
that joy and fellowship can be found.
This is the big picture.

Millions of the gregarious and civilized
enjoy common pleasures, public treasures.
Then, despite all precaution,
every now and then,
a madman can rush past the guard
and slash the honored canvas.
We haul the madman off,
we repair the canvas as best we can.
Ultimately, the madman
has no lasting value,
is just another thing.
The big picture matters eternally.
Humanity helping each other in true fellowship,
reaching out more than ever
in consequence of disaster.

Long after his murderer's
very existence is forgotten,
the musician will be honored,
his music inspire.