My great-uncle /msged me last night...part of the exercise of contacting all the family (an exercise I know well from my days of living in an earthquake zone). Possibly in reference to my daylog yesterday, he said:
Concentrate on the baby, don't think of such things.
I can't.
Everyone in the situation, the airline passengers, the people in the buildings and on the ground, even the terrorists, was some mother's baby. So are the civillians the warmongers are advocating bombing. Everyone was once as innocent, and as trusting, as the five month old curently creeping across my living room floor. Somewhere deep inside them all, before they died, that core of gentleness remained.
Loving one baby, I cannot help loving them all. Take care, beloved sons and daughters of your mothers.
And a thought strikes me. How much is all of this going to cost, in monetary terms? Billions?
I wish the US had spent those billions before this happened, bringing economic prosperity and justice to more of the world. Writing off third world debt. Feeding the hungry, helping the poor. Thinking beyond its own borders. Being good global citizens.
Would this terrible loss of life have happened then? Maybe, but maybe not. And even if it did, we'd have a much better moral position, even with people who don't like the US.
Can we start paying the next vast sum now, spending the money to create a world with greater justice and honor? Please?