Shock. Horror. Pain. Grief. Fear. Anger.

These are some of the common emotions with which we are left in the aftermath of acts of violence such as befell Providence's neighbor city only two days ago at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, a footrace held annually since 1897 on the third Monday in April. 

Upon hearing the news, we as individuals reach out first to neighbors, friends and family asking were you there, are you alright, are your loved ones alright.  Once asssured that we ourselves are not touched directly by the tragedy we think next of those who were, their hideous anguish, and our hearts break on their behalf. 

And then we listen and watch as law enforcement and government officials, journalists and commentators begin to share details and some interpretation of the events to which we are all reacting so emotionally.  The work of forensic analysis begins, the hunt for the perpetrators, the review of security efforts, and of course the gathering of a community's civic resources to aid those who were most directly harmed.

For me, the question is what to take away from such an unexpected tragedy.

In my heart of hearts I do not believe that even the best security measures in the world can protect us indefinitely from such terroristic events. 

Nor do I believe that identifying and successfully prosecuting the perpetrators of such events--as appropriate as it is to do so--can ever bring me or society much real comfort. 

No.  For me the take away is this: that for each of us, day in and day out, on the smallest or the largest scale, we must strive to make peace.  

When in our everyday lives we hear words spoken in anger or resentment we must stop and listen, even if only to acknowledge the right of each and every individual to feel what they feel.

And when we can do more, when we can directly improve the conditions of others, when we can share some of our own good fortune, when we can reach out and embrace even those with whom we disagree, we are helping to reduce the likelihood that someone somewhere will feel so angry and so hurt that they want nothing more than to punish the world. 

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." So said social activist and pacifist Desmond Tutu.  My own twist: acts of kindness are the best medicine and the only valid response to signs of sickness in the human soul.


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IN MAY, THE JWU LIBRARY will launch a series of ‘Peace Dialogues,’ opportunities for members of the Johnson & Wales University community to join informal discussions on violence in our times. 
Recommended readings will be identified in advance of each gathering, as well as an occasional guest speaker.  The reading for May 8th will be “Empathy for Interpersonal Peace: Effects of Peace Education on Empathy Skills” published in the Spring 2012 supplementary issue of Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice.  The study concludes in part that… “in order to transform interpersonal conflicts by peaceful methods, students should be taught to realize violence and its causes from an early age and should learn about alternative conflict resolution methods while acquiring the required skills.” (p. 1459)