Why the Boston Bombing Made Me Sad...and Glad

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With age should come awareness, an awareness of the world in which we live.

In the past week the United States of America faced terrorism, tragedy, and the necessity of stepping outside our self-centered worlds and helping other people.

As I reflected on the events in Boston, I felt horror and sadness for the people affected by the bombings.  However, I also felt glad that the bombings occurred and were covered by the media.

How often do we watch civilians running and screaming frantically from buildings into the streets on our television screens?  Men, women, and children, all caught by surprise, run from the demented individual who decided it was a good day to set a bomb off and kill and maim fellow humans.

What is the difference in the scenes?

Normally our televisions aren't showing Nike clad marathon runners taken by surprise when pressure cookers exploded around them.  Instead, they are people going about life: grocery shopping, leaving work, going to school, etc.

Are you beginning to understand why, even in my sadness at the terrorism in my country, I am somewhat glad it happened?

The people affected by the Boston bombings and ensuing events experienced a sliver of what some endure daily in other parts of the world.  Updates were constantly given, I spent multiple times throughout the week glued to the television watching what was happening.

Imagine if this happened every day.  The coverage would dissipate and we would acclimate to it, or at least be accustomed to dealing with such catastrophic events.

My hope is that, instead of simply being horrified, saying "Today we are all Bostonians", and hashtagging #prayforboston, we will experience a rise of compassion towards others around the world who daily experience what rarely happens in the United States.

The U.S.A. is blessed that it has not experienced a war on its soil in over a hundred years.  All the wars we've fought have been elsewhere.  But, when tragedy strikes, let us help each other, bond together, and empathize with fellow humans around the world.  Then, once the ripples disappear, fight the self-centered culture in which we live.  When an explosion is shown in Afghanistan, pause and try and see the people on the screen as beautiful beings who have dreams and lives like you and your neighbor.  Don't make them another statistic.  Fight being callused to the evil in this world.