Bob Dylan's question back in 1962 continues to blow in the wind: "How many deaths will it take 'til [we know] that too many people have died?" This question, asked without expecting an answer, pierces our hearts anew as we face the mass shooting perpetrated against the gay community at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, the worst slaughter on U.S. soil in modern history. When we wake up and realize that too many people have died, each of us asks again what we can do differently now and in the days ahead to strengthen understanding and peace in a world fraught with violence.

People with pierced yet resolute hearts, after all, are the ones who keep vigil by candlelight, who stand in a mile-long line to give blood, who together donate more than two million dollars in a single day to help victims and their families, and who hold political candidates to account for their stances. A tragedy cannot be entirely senseless when people of good heart ask questions about how to use it as an opportunity to bring healing, encourage reconciliation, and restore common sense in public dialogue.