The Good People Outnumber The Bad People

The Internet has become a big repository of venom from people who live angry lives full of hurt.   After the tragedy in Boston on Monday, I cleared my Facebook news feed of people who were posting angry, political statements following the destruction.

It is a paradox that it takes tragedy to remind us that the good people outnumber the bad people and that each day is filled with people performing constant, consistent acts of kindness away from the national spotlight.

I had just returned to my office from a lunch celebrating the work of the John Paul II Medical Research Institute, which continues to make advances in the fights against cancer and Alzheimer's and in the treatment of conditions that were previously fatal.

A friend posted on Facebook about the explosions in Boston even before the television news began to report it.  I turned on the TV news just as they cut to Boston--and my first impression was a feeling of gratitude for the many people who were reacting instantly at the scene to help others.

There are many heroic stories emerging from Boston.

People used social networking not to point fingers, but to uplift and encourage.  Many worried about the reaction of children to the news--as parents, we work hard to maintain our children's senses of optimism and safety in the world.    Many folks turned to a quote from a pamphlet featuring Mister Rogers called "Helping Children Deal With Tragic Events In The News."

Fred Rogers often told this story about when he was a boy and would see scary things on the news: “My mother would say to me,’Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To thisday, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world.”

A surprising source, comedian Patton Oswalt, expressed sentiments that were shared over 200,000 times on Facebook.

But here's what I DO know. If it's one person or a HUNDREDpeople, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out." 

"So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The good outnumber you, and we always will.  

A friend of mine, former legislator Steve Falck, had finished the race 20-minutes ahead of the explosion and was reported safe. He posted a picture of himself today on Facebook in full race gear--which I read as a defiant act of triumph over the perpetrator(s).

This 78-year-old man, who many of us clearly viewed falling over as the explosion occurred, got up and finished the race.

"I ended up second in my division," he said. "After you've run 26 miles you're not going to stop there." His timing chip marked his finish at 4 hours, 3 minutes, 47 seconds.

Good people will not be stopped.