Even Darkness Must Pass

Sam: "It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it'll shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand, I know now folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something."

Frodo: "What are we holding onto, Sam?"

Sam: "That there's some good in the world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."


This is one of my favorite scenes out of all the movies I have ever watched. In light of recent, horrifying events, I felt it was fitting. I cannot, and will never believe that evil will triumph over good; that darkness will swallow the light. There is good in this world that can and will always counteract the evil.
Yet, it is so hard to fathom why a person could murder children. What pushes someone to such a point that they become the embodiment of evil? I will not, and cannot, profess to have an answer to that. But I do know, with every fiber of my being, that those who commit evil will reap what they sow. I do not hate them. I refuse to give such people even that honor. I will move on, knowing that the storm will pass, and though the world will never be the same, (and it must never be!) the light will once again shine through the clouds.
I am not saying we will forget. We must never forget. Let the names of those children be written upon the hearts of all. But we cannot allow it make us bitter--to frighten us to the point where we cannot live our lives. What happened in Connecticut is undoubtedly horrific, but if we allow it to frighten us so much that we stop having faith, that we stop learning and growing out of fear of what may happen, then that is the moment that darkness will have won. Darkness is simply the absence of light, it is not a entity in and of itself--it is just the absence of the sun's rays, and faith and goodness.
I won't preach, and I won't remain long on my soapbox. I will not impose my religion upon anyone, and I refuse to begin an argument about stricter, or more relaxed gun laws. This post is to be uplifting: a reminder that the sun will rise, and banish the darkness.
I am a history major, and I admit that there are times that the things I study haunt me. The pictures I see, the stories I hear; there are times I wonder why a God could let such evil occur in the world around us. Yet, at the same time, what I see only enforces my faith. We are given our agency, and there are those who use it for good--and others for ill. I will not blame God for the things that occur. This is evil in this world. It is, and has long been, a fact of life. From the moment Cain murdered Abel, to the genocide in Rwanda, the massacre at Nanjing, the bombing of the Twin Towers, and even to an elementary school in Connecticut, evil lurks in our world. Darkness exists; but even shadows flee when they see light.
I chose to study history so that such terrible instances may never occur again. I want to teach others what happened so in the future it may be avoided. But I am not so naive to believe that the darkness lurking in some hearts will be eradicated. I know some day it will be, but for now we can only fight it the best way we know how. Remember the names of the victims; Morgan Freeman gave a wonderful speech on how we must live on for the victims and remember them--not the murderer. Live on for the good in the world, as Sam said in the aforementioned piece. There is so much light and joy in this world, and though bad things happen it doesn't mean that it negates the good. I will never believe that evil will triumph over good, not as long as there are people out there willing to try and make a difference.
The darkest night is always just before the dawn. Never let the dark recesses of the world suck you in and make you bitter. Remember there is good in this world. The sun will always rise; and though you refuse to let the darkness scare you--always remember the things it taught you:

"There's some good in this world, and it is worth fighting for."

-Lola