love is better than hate.

September 27th, 2015.  Sunday afternoon.  sunny.  warm.  beautiful day in a beautiful world.  everything seemingly beautiful even when it is shitty.  life filled with it’s ups and filled with it’s downs.  minor setbacks followed by major triumphs and love is still the most important thing in this world.
A mini-van filled with six people drive carefully down a quiet suburban road out in the middle of nowhere.  music playing.  kids playing.  kids laughing.  kids singing then BOOM.  CHAOS.  DARKNESS.  SCREAMS TURNING TO YELPS.  HORROR.  REAL HORROR.  DEVASTATION.  REAL DEVASTATION.  REAL PEOPLE.  REAL EMOTIONS.  REAL PAIN.  EVERYTHING REAL.  September 27th, 2015.  CRASH.  DEATH.  KIDS.  GRANDPARENTS.  PARENTS.  UPCOMING WEDDINGS.  STAG.  DRINKING AND DRIVING.  LIFE OVER.
  in a split second life taking a major turn for the worse.  a tragic turn for the worse.  young lives ended and older lives left to wonder why?  why me?  why my kids?  why did this person decide to drive drunk when he could have called a cab?  he could have called a friend.  he could have called a limo.  why did his friends let him drive?  many questions not yet answered.  a tragic event that has left, at least, two families shattered.  in a split second life has ended for everyone involved.  why?  why?  why?
  how does the family of the dead children move on?  how does the family of the drunk driver move on?  how does his fiancé move on?  how do his parents move on?  so many questions and very few answers.  everyone on facebook calling for the “head” of the drunk driver not realizing that the same people who are now judging this man have all got behind a wheel drunk themselves.  hypocrites in a hypocritical world.  the same judgemental people calling for the “head” of this drunk driver give extreme empathy to celebrities who kill themselves because they have a disease (drugs/alcohol etc) and cannot help themselves nor save themselves.  WE ARE LIKE SAVAGES.  we pretend we are religious but then do not show empathy.  we decide who gets our empathy and who gets our wrath.  we are puppets.  we are sheep.  we are all troubled trying to make it in this world and rather than supporting we knock each other down.  one by one.  all so our precious lives feel better.  feel more safe.  feel more complete.  feel more relevant.
September 27th, 2015 a tragic accident occurred.  a tragic accident that was unnecessary.  a young man who seemingly had everything decided to risk his life and others lives when he chose to get behind the wheel of his SUV drunk.  he lost and unfortunately so did another family.  life wiped out in an instant.  I sit and cry for the poor children.  the poor grandparents.  the poor parents who have lost their everything.  but I also cry for the poor young man who made the tragic error and tragic mistake of getting behind the wheel of his SUV drunk.  I cry for his parents.  I cry for his family.  I cry for everyone involved as it is such a devastating event that you wonder if anyone will really survive this event.
  life is absolutely wonderful in all of it’s ups and all of it’s downs but life can be devastating as well.
  this might be the perfect time to sit back and wonder what is important.  what is meaningful.  what is worth fighting for.  family.  love.  nature.  good music.  good conversation.   
as much as everyone wants to believe the young man who killed four innocent people is a monster I beg to differ.  he is a human being just like us who made a terrible and tragic mistake.  I am saddened for everyone involved.  EVERYONE…I DO NOT PICK AND CHOOSE.
life…it can end in an instant.
love is better than hate.