The Teachings of Tragedies

What can be learned from tragedies?
     
      Tragedies can be personal or public.  Typically, the personal are your main concern.  Whether a loved has departed from your life or your career suddenly went south, your personal tragedy is usually your #1 concern.  Personal tragedy is very important to the development of the individual.  How can one appreciate the good without the bad?  Tragedy is great at reminding people that the small things do not matter.  It doesn't matter if you were late for work or if the cashier at the grocery store was rude.  You have better things to think about.  In today's world, it is easy to get caught up in the material.  Tragedy reminds people that money cannot buy happiness, love or even security.  Your world can be shaken, and it will be from time to time. 
     
      Now what about when it's not only your world that's shaken?  Most people don't walk around everyday worring about the other 6.8 billion people on the planet.  Could you even imagine what life would be like if you did?  Probably not.  But tragedy will befall them all.  It is important to remember that when you're on top, you should always reach back down and help someone up.  You'd want them to do the same for you. 
     
      Public tragedy comes less frequently than private.  How many major events can you recall that shook the nation or the world?  I, like every other American, remember when the Twin Towers fell. That single event struck everyone right at home.  Our family, friends, and neighbors were attacked on our own soil.  Our perception of security was shaken.  The very definition of what it meant to be an American was rewritten.  What we thought we knew was proved wrong.  For a time, 9-11 had a major impact on society.  Besides the general uneasiness, the material was set aside and people remembered their friends, families, and what life is really about.
     
      The funny thing about the lessons in tragedy is that they always fade with time.  Like a scrape on your knee, they will heal and be forgotten.  Very few leave permanent scars, and even if they do, they generally fade from mind.  People always go back to their daily lives.  Maybe it's what has to be done.  Maybe the world needs more tragedy.