Senseless violence shatters our lives. It fractures our beliefs, our confidence and our trust in the universe. It destroys our innocence. Most of us do not understand the blatant disregard for life that runs through the newsfeed all too frequently. We are left with unanswered questions and terrible confusion. As a result of this, fear has insinuated itself into our lives. We are vulnerable to the distortions and insanity of tortured individuals who cannot bear to live, and, unfortunately, do not want us to live.

Every time another violent attack occurs around the world I shudder. I experience many feelings all at once. At first I experience disbelief. I find it difficult to accept that what I am seeing and hearing has actually happened, that it is true.

Then I am flooded with a combination of sorrow and outrage. I feel compassion for the victims and their families. I pray for those who have lost their lives and are suffering. I pray for their families and loved ones. I also feel violated. I am angry and hurt. I am relieved when the perpetrators have been caught or neutralized.

Beyond that I am deeply troubled. I believe that life is a precious gift. It is not something to regard casually or with disrespect. As annoyed as I may be by some nasty little bug in my house I will try to scoop it up in a paper cup and put it outside. If I squash a bug or two along the way I usually apologize to the little guy. All creatures have the right to enjoy the fullness of their lives.

My guides say that we are here on the earth plane to live a full and rich life. It’s not necessary to be handicapped by fear. They say that we can overcome fear by putting our faith in goodness. We need to trust in humanity’s decency. They say that our common good will rise to the surface like cream in a bottle of farmer’s milk. Our goodness will continue to rise and overcome malevolence in our world.

My guides remind me, that those who engage in acts of violence, are living in tremendous pain they do not know how to cope with. They spread their anguish to others rather than taking responsibility for their own disaffection for life. They externalize their own torment and grief. They create a vision that involves pain and suffering for others.

My guides tell me that wherever we can alleviate pain, we are alleviating terror in the world. When we alleviate terror in the world, we are lessening our own fear. Terror is born out of pain. The desire to hurt another is born out of pain. The pain we don’t deal with deal turns into anger. That anger grows into an uncontrollable rage. It blinds people with hatred. It makes it impossible for people to understand that we are here to help each other … not harm each other.

We must acknowledge the pain in our lives. If the young man who walked into a nightclub in Orlando with an assault rifle, if the young men who placed a bomb at the Boston Marathon, if all the young men who walked into schools with intent to kill, if the young men who took control of airplanes so they could use them as weapons, if these young men could have admitted the pain in their lives, if they could have broken down and sobbed, if they could have said: “I am afraid,” “Life is unfair,” “I hurt,” then perhaps we would have a river of tears, and not a river of blood.

We must help to alleviate the suffering in the world by acknowledging our own pain. When we reach out our hand in kindness, whether it be to strangers or friends, we help to relieve the suffering in the world. When we acknowledge our own sadness, or that of another, we are creating a climate for peace to flourish. When we cry and admit our vulnerability we are being purified and healed. In these small acts we are lessening the well of pain that lives inside of each of us. When we lessen that well of pain we are letting go of the fear, and we are creating a safer world.