Is it possible to become saturated by the events of the last few days? A sort of numbness sets in. You flick through the paper or websites or radio channels thinking to yourself “yeh, heard that, and that….. that too ……no, nothing new”. I guess that’s what started me on looking for other sources of news, information and opinion from other parts of the world – a desire to find some fresh angle on the whole episode.
But instead I feel jaded. Words just seem to run out at times, and when they do, feelings run out also.
Ever since I first heard of the first plane hitting the World Trade Centre, I’ve tried to be detached and objective – I’ve always held the opinion that if you can remain that way, you can reason better. But the endless repeated interviews with people holding photos of their missing loved ones, hoping that somehow they managed to survive falling 100 storeys in a collapsing burning building; the images of the twisted mess that is all that is left of the buildings and aircraft; the recordings of those dreadful telephone calls from people in the buildings or on the planes – these things easily erode the detachment.
And if that is how it can impact upon someone many thousands of miles away, with no friend or family directly involved, it is easy to see why those close to the scene can be promoting the idea of vengeance.
I just hope that those who make the decisions to send troops, seamen, airmen and munitions against whoever it is they decide to attack can remain level-headed and dispassionate enough to make the right decisions, and do not fall victim to the “red mist” of anger. That would be a very dangerous path to go down, and, in my opinion, would inevitably lead to still worse death, destruction and suffering than we have already seen.
separating the wanted from the unwanted