I had just landed at the Seattle airport for a conference last week, waiting for a ride to my hotel when I heard the news that someone had tried to assassinate Donald Trump .
At first, I thought it had to be a rumor, and it certainly couldn’t be true. But then when the news flashes started coming across my phone and on social media, the gravity of the situation started to set in: Someone tried to kill the former president.
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Regardless of political affiliation or beliefs, the reality is terrifying: Someone tried to kill a former president and a current presidential candidate and killed another person in the process. It makes me worried for the future of our country, the same way I feel when there are school shootings, tragic loss of life caused by senseless wars, or even the seemingly too-frequent natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires or tornadoes.
I can’t help to think, as a parent, what kind of world are we leaving to our children?
My dad was forever the optimist, and it’s at times like these that I wish I could talk to him, because he would know what to say. He often told me not to “waste away today worrying about tomorrow.” But poignantly, during times like these, I think Mr. Rogers had the best advice, saying that when he was a boy and saw scary things on the news, his mother would tell him to “look for the helpers, because you will always find people helping.”
And in my experience, especially as a reporter, I’ve found that to be true. Sometimes it’s during the worst of times, the deadly natural disasters or the most tragic violent events that also brings out the best of humanity. When there is tragedy, there is also good: People going above and beyond to help others, people risking their own lives to ensure someone else reaches safety, people putting others' needs before their own.
It’s something I witnessed first-hand in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as people helped evacuees from that storm find food, shelter and jobs. It was something I saw in Tuscaloosa and even on my own street in April 2011 as strangers showed up with chainsaws to cut away our fallen trees and clear the roads in the early morning hours after an EF4 tornado wreaked havoc across our city.
After tragedies, people donate blood. They volunteer, they collect food and clothing, say prayers, do whatever they can to feel like they did something to make an awful situation a little bit better, in their own tiny way.
When it comes to weeks like last week, I look for the helpers, as it highlights the best in people. And as Nick Saban recently said at the ESPY Awards , it’s important to ask ourselves, “Who did you help today?”
In such a politically divisive climate, I think it’s important to look beyond party lines, beyond varying beliefs, and get back to who we are as human beings. We need to look at what we all have in common, instead of our differences.
I often urge my three children to put others before themselves, to help those in need and to be empathetic. It’s also vital at times like these to look for the good in others, but also work to do what we can to make our community, our country, our world a better place.
Because our kids, their kids and the generations after that depend on it.
Lydia Seabol Avant writes The Mom Stop for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at momstopcolumn@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Worst of times can bring out the best in humanity | THE MOM STOP
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