My daughter has been to see the new Disney Film, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ twice so far. She loves it. It’s a great story with a great moral. GK Chesterton put it like this: “There is the great lesson of ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ That a thing must be loved before it is lovable.” The news over the last month or so seems to have exposed the more beast-like aspects of the human condition and a loss of faith in the power of love.
We’ve witnessed the attack on Westminster and a similar event in Stockholm. Donald Trump’s recent comments referring to the perpetrator of the chemical weapons attack on civilians in Syria as ‘an animal’ just seems to confirm our worst fears about human nature.
Moments like these that shake our faith in humanity. But the headlines are only half of the story. In such times of tragedy we often see examples of extreme compassion and beauty.
The tory MP Tobias Ellwood ran towards the danger in Westminster, not away from it in order to help the mortally wounded police officer (Pc. Keith Palmer). Alongside this notable example were hundreds of others. Passers by tended to the injured despite the danger to themselves. Doctors and nurses poured out of St. Thomas’ hospital to help those in need. Abdi Duale a member of Young Labour described it as “one of the most uplifting scenes amidst the whole tragedy.”
Doug Larson once said “Bad news travels fast. Good news takes the scenic route.” It’s taken me some time to get a perspective on the news hitting the headlines, but I’ve finally gotten there. For every person who intends to hurt, or hate there are hundreds who intend to help or love. It’s a strange irony, but tragedy often reveals incredible beauty.
Beauty in Brokenness (c) Barn Owl Primitives, LLC.
When I see those acts of beauty, I cannot help but be reminded of another: one who saw a hurting world and ran right towards it, rather than turning away. I remember someone who put himself in danger in order to help and heal us. As I look at the cross, I stand amazed that he did it all knowing he would lose his life in that act of beauty and bravery.
We often ask “Where were you when you heard about the tragedy?” Perhaps a better question is “Where will you chose to ground yourself now that it has happened?” I find myself grounded at the foot of a cross, and in a hundred acts of bravery and love that reflect it on a Westminster Bridge.
– Phil
