Patton Oswalt

Patton Oswalt

Shortly after the Boston Marathon events on Monday, I heard a radio host read Patton Oswalt's Facebook status.  I found it to be very thought-provoking:

[...] I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, "Well, I've had it with humanity."

But I was wrong. I don't know what's going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths. 

But here's what I DO know. If it's one person or a HUNDRED people, 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. [...]. This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

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."


His sentiments are so profoundly and beautifully stated.  They made me think a great deal about what he calls the "daily miracle of existence."  That I am here, able to love and appreciate all I have been graced with, is in itself a miracle.  I can breathe, I can love, I can cry, I can laugh, I am deserving.

There are forces in our world that are not beautiful, and there are some poor souls who suffer so greatly from their lack of ability to see and embrace the beauty within and around them. 

All of the evil, the sadness, the hatred...they are necessary to cause the beauty to shine brighter.  Perhaps these are the prices and penalties that he mentions.  They will not last forever, and while they may win some battles, they will not win the war.  They will not take away the greater desire for beauty and goodness in the world.  It is a very powerful statement to feel one has the strength to look pain and ugliness in the eye and say, "The good outnumber you, and we always will."  There is strength in numbers, and the beauty of solace in that strength.

I deserve BEAUTY in my life!