Who Are You in the Face of Tragedy?

You have two choices when it comes to tragedy: You can square up and face it or you can run from it. But either way, it’s going to make a lasting impact.

Back in 2007, our school suffered a great loss when cancer took the life of Kyle Blakeman, a student with a huge heart who was admired by everyone he met. He squared up to cancer, all right, doing everything he could to fight the disease, including participating in clinical trials for experimental medications.

The day he passed was surreal. I’m not sure if it was planned or not, but groups of students congregated at the field to mourn together and support one another over the loss of their friend. It was powerful to watch.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kyle’s mother approaching the field. She had just left the hospital after saying goodbye to her son and had selflessly come to the field to comfort Kyle’s peers because she was worried about them.

Perhaps you wouldn’t have responded the same way – and that’s okay. How you cope with tragedy is a personal choice, after all, but you may find some peace in:

• Helping or serving others

• Coming together in love and comfort

• Being undistracted in your presence

• Standing united

• Respecting one another

• Having empathy for one another

In a famous quote, the beloved children’s TV icon, 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.’”

A friend of mine is a survivor of the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attacks. Her father-in-law used this Mr. Rogers quote to help get her through her terrible experience. So, when she now tells the story of 9/11, she speaks just as much to the beautiful parade of fire trucks being cheered in from New Jersey and the kindness of residents coming out with cups of water to cool off those who were trying to get home probably even more so than she does about the tragedy of it.

That is how we do it in the UNITED States of America. We have always united in the face of tragedy. We come together and care for each other, help each other and have empathy for each other.

So, who will you be in the face of tragedy? Who are you during this current pandemic?