Sandy Hook

It's hard to accept that there is bloodless cruelty in the world, and that there are people whose sole pleasure is in making the lives of others miserable. It's equally hard to accept that there are many who think pleasure is the be-all, end-all of existence. We grope for a way to understand acts of madness, acts of evil. The simple truth is, there is more that we can't understand in this life than that we can.

Clearly, if there is some master plan, it is of our own devising, and it is that plan that keeps us afloat, ultimately, and not gravity.

If we devote our lives to a higher purpose than our own puny self-gratification, we will find destiny at our doorstep, accompanied by sunshine. And, if we recognize that those unable to find any purpose in life often commit the most heinous acts, maybe we can begin the process of forgiveness. There can be no collective social health without a capacity to forgive. That is not merely the spirit of the season, but the sense of purpose we, as a nation and a planet, need.