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'Ripple Effect'




Beautiful photo, eh? Ripples caused by who knows what. Continuous, rhythmic, calm, smooth, undeniable.

Can it be said that the size of ripples is directly proportional to how big the event causing them is?

The event can be a stone dropped into a pool of still water.

Or, it can be a droplet into a cup of liquid.

Or, it can be a motorboat cutting through still water on a lake leaving ripples in its wake.

Or, it can be water cascading over rocks in the middle of a stream.

Magnify each of these events to something along the lines of a large boulder falling from a cliff into a pool of still water, or an iceberg calving from a glacier, or an ocean liner at full speed on the high seas, or a series of Category 5 rapids......Well, you get the picture.

Can ripple effects be applied in other types of scenarios, too? Of course they can. They can be physical, emotional, and psychological depending on the event causing them. Every single event in our lives has a ripple effect of some sort somehow. Events causing these ripple effects can range from a kiss on the cheek all the way up to a Hurricane Sandy.

Of course, some events are more positive than others. But, no matter what, to those immediately affected, the ripples are much larger the closer they are to the center of the event. As they move outward and away from the central causation, they become smaller and smaller until they are virtually gone.

So, what does all of this have to do with this blog post? Well, we are now counting the number of years since the massacre at Columbine High School in decades. People are still talking about it. People are still trying to learn from it. People are still trying to heal from it. People are still trying to wrap their heads around it. Some are more successful in their efforts than others.

Just the single word 'Columbine' has different meanings to different people. The ripple effects of this tragedy were, and perhaps arguably still are, more wide ranging and have a deeper emotional impact than many others. Just recognizing and accepting the fact that others 'outside' the Columbine community were affected by this massacre, no matter how large or small the ripple that hit them, is a step in the right direction, in my opinion.

Remember how "We are ALL Columbine" became the mantra soon after the actual event?

We can learn from each other. We can help heal each other. We can make a difference.

Please contribute.

Please share.

Please be a part of this ongoing process.

Remember.

Honor with action......


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