Today, those of us who weren't directly affected, mainly checked in with our various methods for "the recap." Which is normal. If you're not with the Red Cross or the news media, you basically went on with your life. Again, normal. Doesn't make us bad people. Other than donating our time or our money, there really isn't anything we can do. It stays on our minds for a day or two and we move on.
Reminds me of some song lyrics..."I guess the world didn't stop for my broken heart..." and "...and this ol' world will keep on turnin'..." No it doesn't stop. Nor should it.
Every person has a different perspective on every event. And every person's perspective can change in a split second. A photo I saw yesterday afternoon really struck me. It was of two young women who'd been evacuated from one of the office buildings in Tokyo. Being the handbag lover that I am, the first thing I noticed were the handbags they were carrying. One was a Louis Vuitton Monogrammed Alma and the other was an Hermes 31 cm. black Bolide with gold hardware. And then I saw the stricken, dazed, confused look on their faces and the sadness in their eyes and I suddenly felt horribly guilty for even noticing their bags. I am sure they were as excited when they got those bags as I am when I get a new one. And I am equally sure that, at the moment that photo was taken, their handbags were the absolute LAST thing on their minds.
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| credit: The Atlantic (atlantic.com) |
When my husband was ill and then when he passed away, there were times I would just get SO angry. I was angry that our worlds were turned upside down and no one around us seemed to even notice. Everything went on around us as if things were perfectly normal. The sun even had the audacity to come up every day! I couldn't wrap my head around it. Sometimes I wanted to scream at them. "HELLO! Don't you people understand the tragedy that's going on here??? Don't you know that the world will never be the same???" But it wasn't "their tragedy." Their lives were going on as normal. Now don't get me wrong, I would never wish what we went through on anyone and I don't really understand myself what I expected anyone to do. Nothing, I suppose. There wasn't anything they could have done. My perspective was majorly out of whack.
I think that's why I got upset with myself for noticing their handbags in that photo.
But the world doesn't stop turning.
For anyone or anything.
This is so true. I think everyone feels that way through a tragedy, I know I have. ♥
ReplyDeleteAcknowledgement perhaps. When my baby sister drowned at 21, I didn't expect the world to mourn with us, but I wanted the people that were in my life everyday to...I don't know, think about it for a bit, rather than expressing sympathy and then immediately trying to forget it. I guess I wanted them to realize that their own lives could be struck by this lightning from Hell just as quickly. To value and express their love and appreciation to the people in their lives out loud and often. I have realized over the last 30 years of course that this kind of thing is exactly what many people don't WANT to think about. Perhaps they are afraid that such thoughts will attract tragedy, but these losses are at least a little easier to deal with when you know your loved ones knew they were loved.
ReplyDeleteThis post stuck with me when I first read it, but now I have commented.