Pray For This Cruelty To End And For Peace and Tranquility To Return Again

Late Officer Montrell Jackson and Son

The more I looked at this photo of Officer Montrell Jackson, one of the officers killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the more it dawned on me how all of these lives being lost are impacting our family structures. In every one of these senseless killings whether it was initiated by one in uniform, a civilian or a terrorist, a void was created that was not there. Each individual lost was some one's father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, uncle, aunt, cousin or friend. They were people who were loved by other people who are now left behind with only their memories.

It doesn't matter if it was a terrorist attack such as Orlando or Paris or an individual shooting as in Minnesota or Baton Rouge, family members were taken away; innocent people who had absolutely nothing to do with the events that precipitated the attacks in which they were killed.

Late Officer Montrell Jackson symbolizes what I am seeking to convey in this post in terms of the losses we are suffering as families as a result of all of this killing. He was the father of an infant who will now no longer have his dad. For every loss, some family will no longer have whatever role the deceased played in their lives. Sitting here looking at this picture, I can't imagine how Officer Jackson's or any of the other families who have lost loved ones to this madness must feel. Senseless deaths; senseless losses; senseless voids.

We as humans, we as a people must come together to stop the madness. Something has to give as we cannot keep suffering these types of losses as human beings. My heart and prayers go out to ALL of the families who have suffered and are suffering as a result of the actions of a few. I end this post with a quote from Anne Frank, “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.”

Something to critically think about. You are invited to join me each Saturday morning at 6 a.m. as the host of The Reading Circle with Marc Medley. The show web streams around the world on gobrave.org and is heard locally in northern NJ on FM radio WP88.7 FM. You are also invited to follow me on Twitter @thinkcritical01 and @readingcircle01.