In the "Top Ten Lessons" (tabbed above) the number 10 Lesson is "Hope in Faith" (Hebrews 11:1-3). In my previous Blog I spoke about Faith. This time, I will speak about Hope. Hope is possible because of Faith and builds upon it. When faced with problems and certainly when faced with a tragedy, it is crucial that you Hope in Faith...

Tragedy is not something for which you normally plan--you just don't see it coming. Tragedy is an unexpected event or misfortune. While you can plan for some potential tragedy that could occur (even helping prevent it from occurring), you cannot control every aspect of life. When the unexpected circumstances of life bring tragedy, you are faced with a choice. You can react and blame others, turn inward and become withdrawn and depressed, or you can act according to something else you cannot see. You can act according to Faith...

You may wonder why in the world I would bring politics into the subject of talking about Tragedy. The answer is not that difficult to understand, though you will have to try to follow my reasoning here. First, let me say that I am writing this before the 2008 U.S. Election results are all in and the race decided. The Presidential winner of this election will not change what I am saying, though the voting of the nation will reflect the truth of what I am saying and give a "baramater" (pun intended ;-) ) of where we are as a Nation. I am talking about something that can be seen if you simply take a look at the Education centers (such as a University setting, like Virginia Tech) and the Cities, verses the more rural areas....

Have you ever considered the difference between Halloween and Politics? With the attention on the pivotal upcoming U.S. Election this year, you might not be thinking quite as much about Halloween or dressing up. Then again, Politics lends itself to dressing up and Halloween this year should especially help us all think harder about trying to discern what is true and what is just masked or candy coated. How can you know whether you will be "tricked" by someone masking who they are or "treated" by a genuine person who will keep their promises? A good question might be, "What are they hiding?" or maybe even, "What are you hiding?"

As noted in previous blogs, Tragedy tends to peel away the layers of life that keep us from the most important things. We often take much for granted and even live our lives in response to the changing winds of opinion, rather than being led from an inner core (as the 10-13 blog discusses). Tragedy helps us see our inner self and be in a place to make any necessary changes. Humanly speaking, this makes it more possible for what history shows us to be incredible changes in societies, impacting the course of history. I am talking about REVIVAL...

When suddenly faced with something unexpected you will tend to respond in a way that reveals the reality of where your heart is. It reveals "what you are really made of." It is what some have called "a gut check." The decisions you make and the direction you then take will come from the core of your being or your moral compass. This is the inner person or control room where life's decisions are made. What are you made of? Are you scared by your responses or do they reassure you of what you already know to be true? Are there changes you can make or are you destined to be a certain way?

Are you fed up or are you hungry? Have you had enough? THAT'S IT!

That could be the end of this blog, but then you wouldn't know what I'm talking about.

IT can stand for many things. Most recently, IT is popularly referred to as Information Technology (a thriving educational department at many Universities, including Virginia Tech). If you do a search on "IT" you will find many things for which IT stands.

As this Website is dedicated to learning from and through Tragedy, I want to talk about IT as well...

There is no question that money plays a necessary role in living and a very important role in the aftermath of a tragedy. When a tragedy strikes, there are often needs that require money to help alleviate suffering or provide for those effected by the tragedy. Victims of tragedy are often faced with circumstances that require money and resources for recovery. It requires money to help bring supplies to those devastated by storms, severe weather or natural disasters. It also requires money to bring people to the places of helping those who are injured by tragedy. Sometimes, money (or the lack of it) can even be an important factor leading to a tragedy, brought about from someone's misguided actions. If you were paying attention to the statements of Seung-Hui Cho (the VT Tragedy Shooter), you might even remember his railings against those he considered "rich" and hypocritical. Money is also an element in the majority of crimes and is a leading reason why many couples are tragically separated or divorced. Money often plays a role leading up to a tragedy and it certainly is needed in the aftermath of a tragedy. So, is money a curse or a blessing? I believe this all depends on where LOVE is in the process. Just consider the current U.S. Stock Market crisis...

Recently, I have had several incidents reminding me of the importance of keys. A key is an instrument that allows you to open something that is locked. Aside from the obvious understanding of a physical key, speaking of a key can be a reference to the main thing that supports or can help a situation or idea be understood. Certainly there is even much being talked about and even worked on right now in America as a key to the problems (and even tragedies ocurring) in the financial world. When faced with living in the reality of the aftermath of a tragedy, it is easy to lock yourself into a room (a bubble of sorts) that you believe will offer protection from future problems or tragedies. You can easily withdraw and become depressed, or at least disengaged and out of touch with what is going on in the real world. That sense of protection and security is most often actually a prison and can even lead to additional problems or tragedies. Read further below for more explanation and even check out my 05-13-08 Blog: "An American Idol...SAFETY."