Fight violence with tolerance and love

The shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue is the latest in a dizzying series of violent terrorist acts in this country. Many of our leaders have been careless and insensitive with their words, using tragedy to fuel their own political aspirations in spite of the consequences.

The 24-hour news cycle on television presents us with editorialized news and endless finger pointing, attempting to shape the narrative rather than allowing the viewers to form their own opinions. The events of 9-11 changed America forever. We realized that we were vulnerable, and we became scared. That fear turned to anger, and that anger has resulted in numerous acts of violence related to race, religion and sexual orientation.

The differences that were once the hallmarks of American greatness are now being used by lunatics and extremists to perpetrate violent acts and murders. Instead of standing up to violence, we watch and record. Osama bin Laden had a goal when he orchestrated the worst terror attack in our nation’s history, but it was not just to destroy our standing structures. It was, instead, to destroy the infrastructure of our nation. It was to make us so fearful that we would stop co-existing. It was to make us intolerant to the point that we would start terrorizing each other. He succeeded in creating domestic terrorism, and the only people we have to blame is each other. We are a great nation because of our differences, and we need to fight violence with tolerance and love. Adrian L. Burrowes, M.D. Oviedo