The aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings is showing both the best and worst of humanity.

I was amazed at the people who ran towards the bombing and began to help the victims regardless of danger to themselves.

I was touched by the people who reached out to others regardless of any differences.

I am deeply saddened by the loss of life, a child, a mother, a student and the injuries too terrible to visualise.

And yet some people saw it as an opportunity to focus on and magnify the differences between us.

There was a call for death to all Muslims. And an Australian commentator assumed the bombings were the work of left-wing extremists.

And we move on from this tragedy, as shock turns to anger and grief, it would be too easy to take this latter path.

And to take that path would be to deny and ignore the differences that bring us together.