Opinion: Boston Marathon Massacre

Before a day begins, there are many unknowns about what will take place. There are usually general ideas about what will happen, but some of the details about the specifics of the day are a bit vague. Last Monday, April 15, 2013, began as a nice and normal day. I do not think that anybody would have predicted what would have occurred. Unfortunately, that was a day that an unpredictable and a truly terrible catastrophic calamity occurred. There was an annual marathon scheduled for those who signed up to run in it. There were runners from the local area as well as the people who traveled to participate. While some of the people traveled to participate in the run itself, others came as spectators and to give moral support to an individual who was running. Near the finish line, two bombs were planted. Imagine, after all the training, and finally seeing the finish line in sight, but instead of running the remaining yards as anticipated, being thrown yards backwards. For those of us who were not there, it is impossible to fully comprehend the sights that they saw. One reporter I heard said that this was their version of our 9/11 in terms of the feelings relating to being attacked by a terrorist.

The following day I went to help someone, and I heard her telling a coworker that one of her best friends knows someone who was right there when the bombs went off. No longer was it a news story that happened to nameless people. Rather, known identities of people who were directly affected became a reality. Although I still do not personally know individuals involved, others do. Once a name of a friend or relative is attached, then the story all of a sudden becomes more personal. The details become more important. It is imperative that the person or people we personally know are ok. Why is that the case? I do not know if it is just me, but when I hear a story, although I can feel bad for the individuals involved who were directly affected; it is not the same level of empathy than if I am personally connected with an individual.