This little poem by Kay Ryan, from The Niagra River, captures a large truth:

In the wake of
horrible events
each act or word
is fortified with
added significance
unabsorbable as
nutrients added
to the outside of
food: it can’t
do any good.
As if significance
weren’t burdensome
enough. Now
the wave-slapped
beach rocks not
just made to talk
but made to teach.