I am like you.

I noticed the Boston bombs on that lonely television in the restaurant, the airport, or the bar.

That same sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not again.

Who will we retaliate against this time? Someone has to pay, someone always has to pay.

I tried to ignore the news, the Facebook feed, the google news articles, yet I am drawn in by tragedy. I had so many questions. Did they delay the 2nd detonation to target the EMT’s and Police? How many people were killed? Who did it?

That compulsion to slow down our car and gawk as we drive by that gnarled wreck on the freeway. Eventually I give into the urges and then I am swept away by emotion as the online pictures evoke the kind of visceral emotional reaction that only photos can.

Why do they do it, why us? We still don’t understand. We will never understand.

They do it because they can. They do it because we care, because our hearts bleed for those that we see suffer, because we are powerless.

Powerless to do anything about it, powerless to help. We sit by and watch as the towers crumble and thousands die and we know that we are powerless to stop it.

They revel in our powerlessness. They want us to feel powerless, so they can feel strong.  It is not our military might that makes us strong, it is our commitment to justice. In this country when someone commits a crime, no matter how heinous, they get tried by a jury of their peers. The government does not get to decide who lives and who dies, we decide that for each other.

It is important not to give into the hate, the fear and the anguish. These things that fill you up only serve the enemy, the best thing we can do is fill our hearts with love. The anger poisons our soul and the fear keeps us up at night and pulls our heart along on a string when all we want is to sleep peacefully.

We find out who is responsible, we always do. It will take time. Have patience. Trust in the system. Believe that justice will be served and let your heart fill with love for the victims and their families, as anything else only diminishes us as a people.

Let go of your hatred and your fear, when we hold onto these things … they win.

As long as there are people who will run towards the explosions, putting themselves at personal risk to help the victims, there is still hope.

Be one of those people.