Hellish events leave us feeling things are out of control

The weekend's torrent of bloody news began Saturday with reports from the Syrian desert that three Americans involved in counterterrorist operations — two National Guard members from Iowa and a civilian translator — were killed by a lone ISIS agent. 

The return in coffins of those who were serving the nation is always sad but it's an acknowledgment of the risks our forces take in a war zone. Hours later a still at large gunman opened fire on Brown University students — a generation trained in duck and cover — in a final exam review class, killing two and wounding nine. On Sunday came the horrifying news from Australia that at least 15 Jews celebrating Hanukkah were gunned down at a popular beach. For those staying up late, unfolding in Hollywood came reports that a universally known and respected filmmaker and his wife were knifed to death apparently by their troubled adult son, following a dispute at a holiday party.

Perhaps it's just the juxtaposition of these hellish events that are so unsettling; it's hard to dismiss a feeling in the gut that things are out of control. Campus shootings are still happening while antisemitism is having a virulent resurgence, leaving two communities, an academic and religious one, shattered by the same incomprehensible reality of death coming suddenly for those going about daily life.

The timeless tragedy of parents being murdered by their own had occurred earlier this month on Long Island when a husband and wife who operated a deli in Bethpage were stabbed to death by an estranged son. When it happens to Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, it hits harder because of our familiarity with the indelible sitcom character he created and the popular movies he directed.

Although the motive of the Brown attacker is unknown, grasping for an overarching narrative seems pointless. Random violence, in any place at any time, cannot be rationalized. If you feel vulnerable, or terribly sad, especially at what should be a festive time of year, you have company. Hatred doesn't take a holiday. Violence is still used to settle disputes.

Calls for more gun control and a stronger effort to combat Islamist terrorism are valid, but it seems those responses are stuck on auto pilot, with no conviction that something will change. The appallingly insensitive response by President Donald Trump to the Brown shooting — "things happen" — won't reassure any parents. His callous comments about Reiner were heartless. The FBI's fumbling of the Brown investigation only confirms that Washington is too broken to help. 

What's affirming is that over $2 million have been raised for the Syrian Australian who saved dozens of Jewish lives as he took two bullets. 

What's important is not to retreat from the world, not to distrust those who are different, and not to justify violence as a solution. Let's not surrender to the nihilism surrounding us and instead demand moral clarity from our leaders. In this darkness, persist in finding the light.