I’ve spent the last hour watching BBC News Night, only to arrive at a place where questions far outnumber the answers. Somehow, in the wake of tragedy, I find myself unable to process terms like “homegrown extremists” and “Al Qaeda affiliates” when images of terrorism flash across the screen. Sometimes it is easy to get lost when looking for answers.
This analyst on NPR, Dr. Something or Another, commented that such an attack “does not compare to the one our country suffered on 9/11...it's 30 something deaths versus 3,000.” This idea is one I have heard before, a mere echo of the absurd reasoning that surfaced after the Madrid bombings. Such an idea, that one can not reasonably compare the attack on London or Madrid to New York, which is to say theirs was not as tragic as ours, is faulty on two levels.
Firstly, numbers are simply numbers. It matters very little how many zeros follow the number one. Whether it be 1000, 100, or simply 1, it is 1 too many. The unimaginable grief and suffering that friends and family of those lost will endure, perhaps for the rest of their lives, cannot be measured nor compared. Even the most sophisticated tools of technology and measurement cannot detect an ounce of human emotion or pain, which stretches far beneath words, television reports, and most of all comparison. Again, one life lost to the indiscriminate killing of terrorists is too many.
Secondly, it matters not that an ocean may span between the shores of America and England. An attack against the innocent men, women, and children of London is an attack against every man, woman, and child who lives under the virtue of freedom and democracy. Ideology aside, there is an obvious fundamental bond of humanity which bonds us all, transcending policy, theory, time and space. In this regard, a wrong committed against one is a wrong committed against all.
It is difficult, but I must remember to pray for the terrorists responsible for these acts. Times like these are a clear, yet somehow still inconceivable, illustration of God’s grace. My natural inclination is to say these murderers will need God’s love and forgiveness now more than ever, but placing levels on unearthly things is nothing but earthly. We all receive these things abundantly, unconditionally, and in this case most importantly, equally.
5 comments:
Michael, -
Nicely said. I was watching the news today and I kept thinking about Al Queda and "the enemy" in general. Who are these vague criminals we are always hearing about? What is their purpose? Why'd they suddenly appear at 9/11..? These questions always bother me, because these are human beings we are talking about. Humans who are capable of such destruction... its hard to understand
Without God's love and salvation throught Christ and the understanding and values that those bring, human beings are capable of anything.
Very impressive, my friend.
And these people are right... you need to write elsewhere as well.
Hey Sean,
Good call--it's all a bit overwhelming and sometimes the more I try to understand it the more lost I get... We'll chat more later.
And thanks Kelly. That's a big compliment coming from the University Star's leading reporter! :) Howie pics will be up sunday--don't worry!
Comment #2--really good by the way...
This totally isn't an attempt to recruit you, but you'd make for a good columnist. Remember that idea you had about doing a weekly stint? At least reconsider it. You would be a fantastic asset, and another not-to-flaming-liberal person to add to our repertiore.
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