I’m overwhelmed by my emotions since learning about the Pulse nightclub tragedy in Orlando, FL. I feel heartbroken for the families and friends and partners whose loved ones were killed. I feel powerless to change the hatred that motivates violence towards others. I feel enraged by our collective inability to respond with policy that prevents mass shootings. What am I supposed to do?
We are all grieving, trying to make sense of a senseless event. We have all been confronted by the kind of devastating destruction that comes from hatred and fear. We may even feel anger and injustice so intense, it becomes like that hatred. We may even feel so unsafe and like the world is spinning out of control, it becomes like that fear. In the wake of profound tragedy, it can seem impossible to feel hope, calm, or peace.
But there is hope. It is possible to heal, to find peace, to build trust. Let us use the wisdom of Martin Luther King Jr. to guide our thoughts and our actions:
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.-Martin Luther King Jr.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
Attune your being to light and to love. Seek access to nature and to the sun and let light shine upon you. Lean in to the relationships in your life that are safe and draw love from them. Send to others the love and the light that is always accessible in your heart. And send it back to your own heart, too.
Our experienced Bethesda, MD individual counselors and marriage and family therapists are available anytime for an appointment: weekday mornings, afternoons, and evenings, as well as Saturdays and Sundays. If you or someone you love is struggling in the wake of the Orlando, FL tragedy, please reach out for support. Call us today, we can help.
Other ways to help after the Orlando, FL Pulse nightclub tragedy:
If you are able, make an appointment to give blood at our local Bethesda, MD area Red Cross Blood Donation Center.
Equality Florida, a nonprofit LGBT civil rights organization, has set up a GoFundMe account for the victims and their families. Equality Florida spokesperson Ida Eskamani says all of the money donated will go to the families.