So many difficult moments this week with others that loom in the nearly immediate future, making it hard to shake them from your thoughts. The tragic anniversary of 9/11 prompted so many reflections about where we each were on that day, the way we felt, the impact on our world. A political assassination that, regardless of your politics, was truly horrifying and the knowledge that, in just weeks, it will be two years since the terrorist attacks, and seizure of hostages, on October 7. The weight of it all is nearly overwhelming.

I have a difficult time understanding when acts of violence became the norm. I cannot come to terms with the notion that we have lost the ability to discuss and disagree, that we can no longer accept that others may see things differently than we do.

I cannot understand the disdain for human life, the willingness to cause pain, suffering and death of innocents. Frankly, I just can’t comprehend the notion that someone finds it justified to take a life because their beliefs are different or they feel disenfranchised or someone or something offended/upset them.

My dad was a man who loved political discourse. Nothing made him happier than a spirited debate where he could express his opinions and hear others. And if their beliefs did not align, he would do his best to persuade them to see his side. Sometimes he was successful and often he was not. That would end with a rueful shake of the head and the words “Let’s agree to disagree.” And life went on.

We have lost the ability to respect one another as people who have the right to see things other than in the way we see them. We have lost the ability to take a step back and manage our anger, work through our concerns and find solutions. The immediacy of reactions, the availability of deadly weapons, the acceptance of murder as a form of disagreement, have changed our society, and not for the better.

Maybe I am being Pollyanna here but I think we have to find our way back to civility, to discourse, to valuing human life. I think we must find ways to teach that to our children, model that in our own lives and find ways to replace hatred with compassion. If we are to live with full hearts, if we are to find full hearts, we must start with living in peace.