My brain's already gone to sleep, it seems; I can't seem to post coherently about today's news from London. I seldom have time to watch the TV news, so tonight was the first time I heard that London will be hosting the 2012 Olympics. It was also the first I heard of the rush-hour bombings there.
Julie at Happy Catholic has a nice collection of news and commentary on the bombings (can't say I agree with all the commentary, but that's about par for the course -- I'm feisty).
During my tube rides in London this spring, I saw dozens of "Back the Bid" posters showing gymnats pommel-horsing downtown buildings and other pleasant silliness. Where are they now? Have they already been taken down, since the "bid" is over? Have they been distributed as souvenirs to those who helped back the bid? Or have they been torn or blackened by the subway bombs?
They're only posters, and they don't matter anywhere near as much as the people involved. They're just what I remember -- part of an embarrassing, but very human, instinct to make the tragedy something that impacts me directly. Why do we do this? Is it an attempt to make ourselves more important, to get some of the attention? Or is it a blessing, an instinct that points us in the direction of compassion when a tragedy seems too big and far away for us to remember that there are real people involved?
If you agreed with all those comments I'd have to come and take your temperature! Because I KNOW you're just that feisty! ha!
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