MY NEXT BREATH

I'm in bed infected with the cold virus and am spending a lot of time with the television on. For the past four days the news has been inundated with sadness, death and misery.

Two news events weigh heavily on my heart.

The first, the death of fourth grader John Pham, the child killed in a Brampton school bus accident. The pain visible on his parents face is heartbreaking. (Why aren't there seatbelts on school buses?)

The second, the Virginia Tech Massacre, where some Asshole has taking his life’s pain and frustration violently out on others.

Watching this latter event unfold before me on the tube, I face my own frustration and pain. As more information unravels about the mass murderer, it is obvious that the event was premeditated and his intention was to massacre and inflict pain on as many people as the bullets allow. It is disheartening to me how a person can let anger and hatred intensify to a point where it creates feeling of righteousness, power and moral superiority; where it becomes justifiable to alter and seize the lives of others.

It’s extremely troubling to witness a person who permits anguish and despair to consume them, allowing their burden to result in a horrific infliction on humanity. I struggle to empathize with a person so desperate with life that they can not see light beyond the shadows.

We all suffer through life, but it is up to us to pick ourselves up at the moment of great despair and move on; for it is our greatest attribute as human beings to acknowledge the issue, accept the outcome and adapt to our surroundings.

Negativity has such a detrimental effect on life. Thoughts of anger and sorrow flood my own head eliciting various responses occasionally. However, I choose to stand firm in my positive life affirmation. I will not let thoughts dictated by anger become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I have recently taken action in my life to block out negativity and negative elements. I am better for it. I am fully aware that I can not change horrific events and can not control the actions of others, but I can control how I feel, what I do and how I project my own thoughts into the world. I will not live my life influenced by other’s defeatist doctrine.

I wake up thankful for every breath that propels me to the next.