Obama on Colorado Shooting: “Our Time Here is Limited and Precious”

President Obama was stoic and sympathetic as he addressed a crowd in Ft. Myers, Florida earlier today. The stop in Fort Myers was intended to be a campaign stop, but President Obama made it clear that today is not a day for politics. Obama used his stop in Florida to address the Aurora, Colorado shooting and  reflect on life and its value.

“We may never understand what leads anybody to terrorize their fellow human beings like this. Such violence, such evil, is senseless. It’s beyond reason,” Obama said.

“We do know what makes life worth living. The people we lost in Aurora loved and were loved. They were mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors. They had hopes for the future and they had dreams that were not yet fulfilled … a reminder that life is very fragile. Our time here is limited and it is precious. And what matters at the end of the day is not the small things, not the trivial things that so often consume us in our daily lives. Ultimately, it’s how we choose to treat one another and how we love one another. It’s what we do on a daily basis to give our lives meaning and give our lives purpose. … ……What we remember will be those we loved, and what we did for others. That’s why we’re here.”

Before a moment of silence, Obama cautioned the excited crowd, “I am so moved by your support. But there are going to be other days for politics. This, I think, is a day for prayer and reflection. … I’d like us to pause in a moment of silence for the victims of this terrible tragedy, for the people who knew them and loved them, for the people who are still struggling to recover, and for the victims of less publicized acts of violence that plague our communities every single day.”

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