I shudder when hearing news about someone intentionally trying to inflict harm, breed fear and to snuff out life. Who wouldn’t? How sick in the mind do you have to be to plant four bombs timed to go off when the largest mass of people will cross the finish line of a prestigious marathon? I grieve with those parents who lost their eight year old son in such a horrific and wretched way.
At the same time, it saddens me to write that the three lives lost tragically yesterday at the Boston Marathon are worth far more media attention than the 120+ lives of those killed in yesterday’s bombings in Iraq, 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Iran & Pakistan or the suicide attacks in Somalia. I’m sure I’ve missed out on several large acts of violence. I had to literally dig deep inside the bowels of a popular international news website to even find out about the ones listed here. Frickin’ Western media! Have we become too numb to care about the gruesome conflicts facing our brothers and sisters in the Middle East and Africa? If we are honest, are those lives worth just a little less to us? Is it that we have better, more colorful and dramatic smartphone footage of Boston? Or deep down, do we like the Hollywood idea of the plot, an suspenseful FBI investigation, “good guys” catching the “bad guys”?
Please, I beg you not receive this post as insensitive or offensive. There is a time to grieve the heinous attack on Boston. My point is that I want to teach my son and first and foremost myself to always remember that all life is sacred. Whether we were born in a developing country or were lucky enough to be born in the West.
Today, I grieve with all those sleepless, red-eyed mamas in Boston, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia (see pic below), not to forget those in Syria who have lost equally precious babies in equally senseless acts of terror.
I feel the same way. Thank you for putting into such articulate words.
I will say, I think people (Americans? everyone?) get so upset about things like Boston vs, say Somalia, because they can relate to it. We’ve been to Boston. We know someone in Boston. We’ve ran the Boston Marathon. This feels personal. Somalia, on the other hand… I think most Americans could not even begin to locate it on a map, and that makes it easier to ignore it. Not saying it’s right. It’s just my theory.
Pam, I think you are so right on and I quoted you in response to Brett’s post below. We are affected most by what we know. This makes me want to get out there and meet more Iraqi, Somali, Iranian and Syrian people to understand their heartbeat for their homeland and the deep-rooted suffering they have faced in this generation.
yup, right on. being aware of the others without minimilising this one, but REALLY understanding what is going on out there – well written, much grace…
my version: http://brettfish.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/the-tragedy-and-not-so-tragedy-of-the-boston-marathon-explosions
Brett, I loved the thoughtful (and the offended) reactions your readers had to your post. They were each helpful in my own reflection. Thanks for linking back to it. I love your heart that is outraged by injustice and I know that you are also saddened by the terror people in Boston and all across the US live in now.
Totally agree…the Western world seems to forget about all the pain and suffering there is every single day in some of these war-stricken countries. But then again, every day there are millions of families losing their children to accidents, illness, crime, drugs etc and these are all tragedies in themselves. I think if we really analyse the world it is just FULL of tragedy everywhere. But what makes Boston so awful is that some sicko (or sickos)purposely wanted to harm innocent people. The suicide attacks in Somalia are also in this category. Earthquakes are terrible tragedies but we can’t blame someone for doing it on purpose…These kind of tragic moments make us thankful for what we have and bring out the best in people too (humanitarian aid, other volunteers etc). The world is a strange strange place.
Hey, I thought you couldn’t comment on this blog from your mobile? Did you go out of your way to find a computer? 🙂
Yeah, I agree that the earthquake tragedy belongs in a different category – I just was compiling devastating world events.
Thanks for the reminder about the goodness found in humanity too. I heard a reporter saying that the helpers represent the best of us and the perpetrator the worst of us.
Amen. Amen. Amen.