We\u2019d like to pause and share these words from writer Zaki Hasan, on the how very important it is for humanity to follow one Golden Rule \u2013 be kind.<\/em><\/p>\n By Zaki Hasan<\/strong><\/p>\n Hearing and watching the news and horrible images coming out of Connecticut over the last few days, it\u2019s easy to be overwhelmed by despair and disillusionment\u00a0 But then I see stories like this<\/a>, and my mind is drawn back to this quote by Kurt Vonnegut, and the small bit of reflection it elicited in me a few years ago for Geek Wisdom<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThere\u2019s only one rule that I know of, babies\u2014God damn it, you\u2019ve got to be kind.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u2014 Kurt Vonnegut<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Man shows inhumanity to man. It\u2019s axiomatic of our existence. It\u2019s the story of our past, it\u2019s the story of our present, and it will very likely be the story of our future. Indeed, it\u2019s a lesson that\u2019s reinforced every day, whether we\u2019re watching the evening news or the latest entry in the Saw<\/em> series. However, our history is also littered with awe inspiring examples of men and women showing incredible compassion in the face of unspeakable evil and insurmountable odds.<\/p>\n Every story of tragedy has a story of heroism to go with it. For every Holocaust, there\u2019s a Schindler. Vonnegut\u2019s words, spoken so simply, are nonetheless laced with considerable profundity. The imperative to be kind to one another may seem obvious, but part of being human means that both the right thing and the wrong thing are forever at arm\u2019s reach. It doesn\u2019t hurt to be reminded every now and then which one we should choose.<\/p>\n Zaki Hasan is a San Fransisco-based writer and professor of communication and media studies. He blogs at Zaki\u2019s Corner, where this post was<\/em> originally published<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here is the video of the Muslim community\u2019s participation in the Newtown, Connecticut interfaith service.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/27\/2012\/12\/Newtown.jpg\" "\\"Newtown\\"")
<\/a>The editors and writers at Altmuslim and Patheos\u2019 Muslim Channel are heartbroken over the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. As the news and stories emerge, and journalists, writers, bloggers and pundits are\u00a0weighing in on every aspect of this horrible tragedy \u2013 from debates over gun control, to addressing mental health issues, to the important role teachers play in our children\u2019s lives, to how to help our children cope with all of this. We are reminded of the words from the Quran: \u201cVerily with every difficulty, there is ease. Verily with every difficulty, there is ease.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n