It was a horrible tragedy in Paris last week as the events of November 13th unfolded before our eyes. Thankfully most of us don’t know what it’s like to lose a family member to terrorism but our family certainly understands what it means to suddenly, tragically and violently lose someone you love dearly.
Losing a loved one is never easy but when that loss is unexpected that makes the challenge even greater. Add to that a loss which is violent and the emotion becomes more complex. Finish that with the reality the loss was for no good reason and you have many months and years of pain ahead.
Sadly in much the same way that Teagan’s murder was not unique nor was the victims in Paris. Just within the last seven days prior you have mass murder in Lebanon, Egypt and across Africa. I have come to describe this reality as the ‘surprise but not surprising’ quandary.
Teagan’s murder was a horrific surprise when it happened but it was not surprising that something like that could happen if you were closely involved with the situation. Likewise, with Paris – the attack was a shock but given Charlie Hebdo, Madrid, London, Benghazi, Egypt it was by no means surprising in the global context.
So now the real work begins with how do you take an unexpected tragedy and turn that attention into something meaningful to prevent future duplication? I certainly don’t have an answer for either scenario. What I do know for sure are two things – 1) there are many tears, sleepless nights and questions ahead for the victims, 2) there is no luck fix and 3) we have to fix it.
Teagan's Voice 