Ah, it’s a hard world, isn’t it?

Ah, it’s a hard world, isn’t it? August 27, 2015

As Salaamu Alaikum and hello all.  It is Thursday morning.  Yesterday was a tough day for anyone living in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  I mean, it’s weird, how we make seemingly distant events familiar.  I’m all the way on the other side of the state from where this heinous shooting took place, but because it happened in my state, and one of the victims went to Virginia Tech and I have a friend who is an alumnus, well, it felt like it was happening right on my doorstep.

Two people murdered in the most callous way possible, another seriously injured.  The gunman fled, then dead.  A rambling manifesto giving an unwanted glimpse into a disturbed mind.  Shocked coworkers.  Devastated loved ones.  A memorial gathering.  Candles and flowers.  Tears and anger.

The worst thing about this is not that it happened on live TV.  It’s not that the killer himself filmed the shooting and uploaded to social media.  It’s not that these people were beloved members of their profession and community.  The worst thing about it is that it happened again.  It happened again.  A disturbed person bought a gun and killed people for no rational reason.  And I could have written that sentence last week, or the week before, or the week before that.

I don’t know what to do.  I don’t know the answer.  I don’t know what club to apply to or what online support group to join.  What article to write.  What comfort to give.

I can only keep doing what I am doing.  Pray, asking Allah to protect my kids.  Try to raise them to be good Muslims and good citizens.  Share information about mental illness so we can erase the stigma associated with it.  Love my neighbor.  Smile.  Stop and smell the roses.  Share cute kitten pictures on Facebook.  Live.  Pray for a hiatus in the violence.  Delete the news app on my phone.

Wait for the next time.


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