Can we find the lights?

Can we find the lights?

Mr. Rogers. Photo via youtube.com

"People make your life." —Unknown

As a naturally optimistic and positive person, the tragic events at the Boston Marathon drained my glass — a glass that used to be half full.

Movie theaters, elementary schools and marathons have somehow become unsafe, and it seems to be getting worse.

After the most recent tragedy, I found my tribe and myself glued to CNN, as it re-played the events over and over again in our office.

I remembered one of my favorite mantras, "Be educated, not inundated." so I turned the TV off.

But the images had taken root in my mind, and my thoughts turned unusually despondent.

What is our world coming to? The world I usually see through rose-colored lenses was darkening.

Mr. Rogers

When my brother sent me a video clip of Mr. Rogers' perspective on the recent tragedies, my thoughts shifted and calmed.

Mr. Rogers encourages us to look at this dramatic footage in a whole different way.

He encourages us to turn our focus from the wounded and watch those brave and beautiful people who instinctively rush into the flames to help.

“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.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.” —Fred Rogers

A focus on the few 

Our world is abundant with amazing humans who make the world a better place.

A fraction of a percent of our population is sad, hurt and destructive.

Unfortunately, this minuscule population often demands a disproportionately high amount of our attention in the media.

The need to belong

My guess — which is admittedly uneducated in this field — is this tiny segment of people is sad, hurting and destructive, because they have fallen away from human connection.

They have no community or they’ve fallen prey to radical organizations that create a false sense of community.

We are wired as humans to have a need for connection, to live deliberately and deeply with one another.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs places the need for relationships, or love and belonging, above our basic human needs such as food, water and security.

Community is what makes us whole. It’s what propels us to make the world a better place.

Open your tribe up to those around you who need love.

Pay attention to the countless positive things happening around you — and share that light in your community and beyond.