So what do we do now?

Well it has happened again. Another news breaking event of slaughter and each of us wonders, “What do we do now?”

In the ever more common frequency of these events, we have created a ritual to mourn.

First the media presents as much shocking images that the FCC will allow and what doesn’t make the established forms are spread all over the Internet. First hand accounts of survivors and the names of the dead are posted to detail the facts. Police give vague press conferences of an on-going investigation and additional resources being called into play. Then the ‘talking head’ will weigh in with their opinions and accusations to the horror.

Next we will gather at the site of the transgression to grieve. Balloons, hearts, teddy bears, flowers will be placed in a mound as some sort of pagan ritual to the sacrificed. Moments of silence moistened with tears as candles burn in cups. Hold hands and lean upon one another for these may have been friends or strangers, but we are all in this solemn response together.

Our choice of faith will offer counseling and condolences for they have practiced too many times. Our leaders will give emotional speeches trying to console the many for the fallen of the few. Our social media will pass along quotations to boaster our resolve.

Then the gloves come off. Our fear turns to anger and we post our frustrations wherever anyone will see or listen. Our inner most feelings and beliefs are commented on factual news reports or just against another’s thoughts on the situation. Some can be reasonable debates of opinions and many are just blasphemes ranting.

Then what can we do?

There are funds and charitable organizations and website set up to take your money promising to help those wounded by the tragedy. Yearly anniversaries will be written on the calendar, but unfortunately there will be another one tomorrow.

Today, we go back to work or school. We get back into our daily routine and the media will find another distraction for our attention. Our day-to-day existence will overcome our sorrow and the displays of empathy will be picked up by city workers and taken to the landfill.

Back in the day the sheriff would gather up a posse of farmers and store owners and blacksmiths and hotel clerks and even ole doc to strap on their guns and ride out to avenge the wrong, but we don’t do that anymore. Instead we have well armed uniformed police to protect us, so we can safely go home after a hard day at the office betting on our fantasy football teams to a processed dinner, yelling at each other, beating our kids and then sinking into a drunken stupor in front of the giant screen wasting time with reinforcement to questionable ideas or bloody murders in search of solutions. We will forget about the Missouri football teams power to change politics or the contestants for President statements on abortion or immigration or global warming or the Benghazi consultant or emails or gun control or the extermination of lions and rhinos and elephants or who won the latest talent contest or what the Kardashian’s are doing?

For we soon forget the Sandy Hook’s or the Virginia Tech’s or the Columbine’s for there will be another horrific act of mayhem to fill our minds with sorrow anew. History does repeat itself and the fact is, we don’t play well with others.

No matter what the reason or cause for the display of anger, our species willfully can destroy one another. Solutions abound, as do biases and bigotry.

If our religion is the cause for these horrendous actions, perhaps we should toss away previous books and teachings and create a new God that we all can believe in?