Only a few shorts weeks ago, I stood at the 9/11 memorial in New York in awe of the loss and heartache it commemorated.

Now as I read headlines about the Boston Marathon bombing, I am again in that state at such a shocking and tragic event.

It was meant to be a day of life and achievement. Completing a 26-mile marathon is no small accomplishment. Friends, families and onlookers were supposed to gather in support and encouragement of the runners. Instead, runners and onlookers alike ran not for enjoyment but for their lives.

I can’t even begin to imagine the feeling of fear and exhaustion as some of the marathon runners either crossed the finished line and continued to run to safety or turned around and ran away from the finish line and the destruction.

While a devastating event like the bombing at the Boston Marathon shows the trouble and evil in this world, it also brings about a display that there is still good in the world too. There have been numerous accounts of marathon runners running straight from the race to the hospital to donate blood. Photos are spread across newspapers that show civilians helping strangers alongside police officers and medical staff.

Mister Rogers, who we may all remember from the childhood PBS program “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” once offered a similar sentiment that encouraged everyone to see the good in a situation to help them deal with the bad. He wrote, “When I was a boy, and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

So as fear sets in and the country goes on alert with increased security, look for the helpers. Look for those who are doing good in the midst of fear of the bad. Or better yet, be one of the good helpers yourself to better the world and the troubles around you in your everyday life, as well as times of tragedy.

Hannah Waid is a junior majoring in English. Her column runs biweekly on Wednesdays.