Life, the Universe, and the Marathon Bombing

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly two years since I last posted anything. I could say it's because I didn't have anything to post - which is partly true - but really, I always have something to say. I'd just convinced myself no one cared enough to read it, so why bother?

Well, that stops here.

Life is funny. It's not until something like the bombings at the Boston Marathon happens that most of us really give a thought to how fragile our existence really is. And yet, millions of people the world over live with the constant threat of violence - in war-torn countries, in regions of geopolitical unrest, hell, just in neighborhoods where the crime rate outnumbers the good guys - so why is it that we're constantly surprised by "higher-profile" events like the Marathon?

Our capacity for doing harm to one another continuously shocks me. I have trouble squashing ants in the bathroom; it's inconceivable to me how someone could deliberately plan an action designed to cause harm - even death - to other humans. It's comfortable to think that actions like the Marathon bombing are carried out by inhuman monsters; by people so brainwashed by evil that they're unrecognizable to us. But is that really true?

Over 200 years ago, when America fought for its independence from Britain, America was roundly criticized for not adhering to the "conventions of military engagement." Our forces were so outmanned and outgunned that our strategists resorted to what amounted to guerilla warfare - sneak attacks, ambushes, suicide missions - in order to emerge victorious. If Britain had won, do you think the original colonists would have been called "terrorists" by the history books? Although, the argument must be made that at least the American forces concentrated on military targets - unlike today's terrorists - but is any loss of life ever truly justified?

An extreme example, I grant you - but sadly, today's world is full of less extreme examples, if you care to illustrate the point in more subtly varying shades of grey. Darfur. Somalia. The West Bank.

This is not an apologist post on behalf of the misguided souls who cause this harm. I'm not looking to justify or rationalize the suicide bombers, radicals, or jihadists.

All I'm asking for is that we remember that we are all human. We are all connected. Causing harm to any living soul brings harm to ourselves.

When we are hurt, we can - and should - stand up and defend ourselves. But there's a world of difference between defending oneself from attack and picking fights with half the planet.

If there is one thing that I have learned in my life, it is that we have a very long way to go in our quest for peace, for evolution and advancement. We are still so focused on 'an eye for an eye' that we have lost sight of the fact that when we descend to revenge and hatred, we become the very thing we claim to be fighting against. We have been hurt, and so we lash out blindly at those who hurt us, hurting other innocent people in the process... which creates more hurt, angry people, lashing out in all directions... and the cycle continues.

An eye for an eye, until everyone is blind.

The child left orphaned today by a stray missile could well become tomorrow's suicide bomber. The husband left widowed and childless could turn his grief to rage in the span of heartbeats. These are not inhuman monsters. These are people, like you and I, who have been convinced - through pain, through grief, through religious fervour, through mental imbalance, through any number of channels - that the only path left to them is death and destruction. That the only choices involve how much damage to inflict, and whether they expect to live through it.

In that context, it becomes a little easier to imagine how someone could decide to hijack a jetliner, or build an IED out of a Crockpot. It gets no easier to understand - but then, emotions aren't logical. They can't ever truly be understood, only experienced. They are visceral, chimeric; they overwhelm reason.

I scan the world news each day and weep for the innocent lives lost. I pray, every day, for a future where such carnage is inconceivable. That we will choose to reach out with a healing touch, rather than an angry fist. That we will inspire kindness and compassion, instead of revenge and hatred.

Dare to imagine this world with me.

You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one.
I hope one day you'll join us,
and the world will live as one.
~~ John Lennon, 1971

A Rare Political Diatribe

I belong to several industry listservs, one of which is dedicated to political discussion (supposedly as it pertains to healthcare). I have been disheartened to see that the majority of people who post regularly are staunch conservative Republicans, spouting anti-Obama rhetoric at every opportunity, praising the Tea Baggers, and crying foul the moment anyone challenges anything they post.  This morning's digest contained a number of references to "Obama and his socialist cronies," among other things.


While it's not worth it for me to wade into the fray in my industry (where I am known, and where my own political leanings and beliefs do not mesh with those of my employers), I very nearly did post this response to that listserv - I actually hit "post" and then had a change of heart and deleted it before the moderators could approve it.
But then I found that I still felt like I needed to say it SOMEWHERE - so here it is.

A political party "spinning" dissent about their policies is not unique to the Obama administration.  Nor is working with the media to slant what information is presented, or to withhold information altogether.

Just in recent memory? The anti-war protests during the Bush administration? There were HUGE protests in NYC and DC. Minimal news coverage. Those who expressed anti-war sentiments in the media were blacklisted (Dixie Chicks? Bill Maher?) and the country was basically told: "If you're not with us, you're against us." I saw a huge resurgence in "America: Love it or Leave it" bumper stickers - and we were right back to where we were during the Vietnam-era protests, the Korea-era protests, the Gulf War-era protests.... Do I need to keep going? So, don't place all the blame on "Obama and his socialist cronies" - it's both sides of the aisle doing the hush jobs.

Do I think that the Tea Baggers have a few screws loose? Yup. Do I think that Obama is the second coming? Nope. Do I think Glenn Beck needs to be banned from the airwaves? You betcha. Do I read the Huffington Post? Not on your life.

Partisan politics have degenerated so far that we can't even have useful dialogue anymore. It's name calling and mudslinging from all sides. That's NOT free speech. It's NONSENSE.

The freedom of expression and the right to dissent against our government are two of our most valuable freedoms, which many people have died to protect over the last 2+ centuries. As has been ably pointed out, many people in other countries suffer greatly because they lack these freedoms.

Maybe, if we all take a deep breath and try to express our opinions calmly and rationally, without name calling, rhetoric or insults, we all might find that we want many of the same things from our government, and from our country.

Or maybe we'll begin to realize that nearly all the political rhetoric being thrown around are simply "tales told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." (Shakespeare)