Due to the recent events in Boston and Iraq, the menace that evil poses on society has been brought to the forefront of our collective conscience.

When I first saw the footage of the explosions at the Boston Marathon, it seemed surreal to me. Honestly, it felt like I was watching a movie.

Unfortunately, both of these malicious acts of terrorism were very real.

Scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, I saw many pictures and articles relating to the bombings – particularly, the one in Boston. Some of these pictures were extremely graphic, which gave me a true sense of the terror involved.

I think we have every right to be scared. The spontaneity and unpredictability of what will probably go down in history as “The Boston Marathon Bombing” rivals the surprise of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

It is inevitable that we will see more events like this in the future. Whether or not it’s today or tomorrow or ten years from now, it’s going to happen. We should face that truth plainly and openly.

However, that isn’t to say we should lose hope or be discouraged.

Of course, I don’t want to make light of any of the tragedies that our country has faced or is facing. With the Aurora shooting, Sandy Hook and now the recent bombing, we have a lot that has happened in the past year. I think it’s only natural for people to cope with loss – and grieve, if they need to – so there is certainly a time for that.

But there is also a time for recovery.

It’s so easy to look at everything that has happened and become overwhelmed in the doom, gloom and negativity of it all. Sometimes we forget about the good in the world and how it trumps the evil. Sometimes we need to be reminded that there are people making a difference for the better.

All of the people that have helped in rescue efforts, assisted in the relief of the downtrodden or shown that they value humanity in some way are proof that there are more genuinely caring people out there than not. We shouldn’t let the actions of the few outweigh the actions of the many.

The battle between good and evil is ongoing, and that hasn’t changed. It’s been that way for as long as we’ve been keeping a public record of events.

It’s the way we frame it that has changed.

We focus so much on the bad in the world that we miss the good. We spend so much time mourning for the lives that are lost that we forget about the ones that are saved.

So let’s frame it in a different way. Let’s view things in a different light. I don’t want to tip the balance anymore.

We need to take the good with the bad.

The universe is only spiraling out of control if you think it is. What do you think?