Mixed Emotions Yet I still Believe

What can one say about a day that has caused so much turmoil, heartache, destruction and death in a city set to celebrate the human spirit of physical endurance?  The marathon is about setting a goal and taking steps everyday to conquer that goal.  To be able to run the Boston Marathon one must first qualify by completing another marathon within a specified time and then through a lottery get picked to run.  Of course there are slots for runners that are raising money for a charitable cause yet even those runners must withstand the physical endurance test of running 26.2 miles. 

Factoryville had a resident accomplish his goal of running in the 117^th Boston Marathon.  He completed the marathon 15 minutes before the first bomb exploded.  While we were over joyed that our friend was safe, others were not.  Mixed emotions became the tag line to all involved in the marathon or knew someone running the event.  How do you celebrate and mourn at the same time?

While watching the news unfold, hearing of the deaths and the injured one can only wonder what drives a human to destruction. In my lifetime, I have seen via the news battles from Vietnam to the Sudan; we watched in our living rooms the air raid attacks as the US bombed Iraq.  Those events were seemingly so far away.  The US has its own home grown violence: Civil Rights movement, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Olympic Park bombing, the Oklahoma bombing and unfortunately many others. Violence did not begin with 9/11 or the Boston Marathon and sadly it will most likely not end there either. 

Whether you call it terrorism or attacks on American soil it is violence.  We have witnessed more violence in the age of cell phones and twitter than our parents.  We can discuss gun control and the FBI watches of explosive chemicals till the end of time.  The unmistakable fact is if someone wants to destroy they will find a way to destroy.  What does that leave us?

I look at the people that rushed in to save bystanders, runners, volunteers and anyone needing help.  Even our emergency personnel were assisted by random strangers offering a hand, carrying a person out of harm’s way and performing CPR to no avail.  I look at the Americans and the visitors from other countries that stayed with the scared, helped the lost and confused.  I watch as the crowd listened to the police and did as they were instructed to keep safe.  The response to this violence was text book.  It is what we are teaching each other so the damage to life, property and psyche stays at a minimum.

What is unsettling is the realization that there is bad in the world and violence can strike at any time to anyone.  How do you stay safe, plan for the future and believe in the human spirit? Going forward to live our life despite the unpredictability of the violence in the world is the advice we are given.  If we give in to the fear then we have lost and the perpetrators have won.  Is that enough to move forward?

I grew up with Mister Rogers.  He was a sensitive man that spoke to us about difficult situations even when our own parents were unable.  He spoke of his mother telling him to concentrate on the helpers in a disaster; they are the people to place your focus as they represent the caring people in the world.  After 9/11 Mister Rogers spoke to us about his belief that some do not know how to deal with their anger and how we must teach our children to deal with their emotions.  He believed we could bring healing to many different neighborhoods by teaching our children to cope with their feelings in a healthy manner.  I believe it too.