Now come the stories of inspiring heroism, accounts of selfless acts of bravery. There were many who protected others during the Las Vegas shooting rampage. A single shooter’s act of cowardice was greatly outnumbered. Many saved lives and even shielded others with their own bodies as gunfire sprayed about them.
Still, it’s so difficult to put things in proper perspective after such an event. I guess it’s human nature to focus on the one monstrous act and allow it to send you into a tailspin of hopelessness and fear for the future. When will the next horror hit? How many victims next time? Do I think twice before venturing out into a crowd of people from now on?
I hear the stories about the rescues and the heroism, but my attention keeps getting drawn back to that monstrous shooter. How can his diabolical actions so effectively eclipse the good that so many did on the scene?
I can only speak for myself but I have to conclude that part of the problem is numbness, rooted in despair. The repetitive nightmare of mass shooting after mass shooting has taken its toll, especially coupled with the knowledge that nothing is ever done toward prevention. Over and over it happens. Over and over the country is drenched in anguish. Over and over, nothing is done about it. Over and over the earth is shoveled upon the victims of gun violence.
The challenge for me is to remember that heroes outnumber cowards everywhere – except in the halls of Congress. Over and over.
