On Saturday, March 25, 1911 at 4:40 p.m.—just ten minutes before closing— a fire broke out on the top floors of the ten story Asch building in New York. 145 of the 500 employed there died that day, trapped in the building by locked doors and collapsed escape ladders, or jumping to their deaths from the eighth and ninth stories. The investigation of the tragedy resulted in rules like fire exits and sprinkler systems that have since saved many lives. But that did not save the lives of people’s sons, daughters, fathers and mothers who perished in the flames. When we hear a story like this, our thoughts must turn to the question: “Why?”

Or perhaps a more recent tragedy will resonate with you. It was March 11, 2011 at 2:46 p.m. when a massive earthquake struck Japan. Several lives were lost, b…