I can’t pretend to understand how a person can take another human life, let alone the innocent, chaste lives (that’s plural) of 20 children.  I can’t pretend to understand how the Westboro Baptist Church can tell the parents of the children killed that God hates them, that this is his just wrath upon their children’s heads.

I can’t pretend to understand the evil of this world. All I can do is know that it exists and accept its existence. That barbaric nature is inherent to our world.

I have to accept that, not only are humans capable of great evil, but in many cases indeed wreak such evil.

I have to accept that, on Friday morning, Dec. 14, a man by the name of Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary, located in Newtown, Conn., and massacred 20 children and 6 school staff members. I have to accept that, as a result, a hate group masquerading around as a church will be spewing its vitriolic hate at the grieving families of the victims.

And I have to accept that this is a scenario we, as a nation, know all too well. Columbine, Virginia Tech, these tragedies are not forgotten.

But how can I possibly accept any of this? How am I supposed to look upon my fellow humans with hope and faith in the face of such evil? It’s hard to look even at myself. I was, and still am to an extent, something like Adam Lanza – introverted, anti-social, different. I like to think that I don’t have the capacity to ever kill another person.

But I do. Everyone does.

So how can I maintain my faith in myself and the rest of mankind?

I look around and I see all of the sympathy, all of the love and support given to the families of the Sandy Hook victims, and I see the great good that humans are capable of. I see people organizing to protest against the Westboro Baptist church by forming a human barricade.  I see my school emerging stronger and more close-knit than ever before in the wake of recent, local tragedies.

And I know that, out of darkness, light is always born. It’s always darkest before the dawn.