A Terrible Club

While at first, the reports came out saying the terror in Boston today may have been related to some sort of electrical explosion, I did not believe it.   For those of us who live or have lived in New York, Mumbai, London, Madrid, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv (or any city in Israel), Baghdad (or any city in Iraq) or Kabul (or any city in Afghanistan) etc. the news was not necessary.  We know terror exists. We have felt its ugly rotten shattering affects.

My 9/11 experience was almost mundane compared to most.  No need for all the specifics. I was a couple of miles from the terror. My wife (fiancé at the time) and I walked back from Midtown Manhattan to the neighborhood we lived in, the Upper West Side. The streets were teeming.  Everyone simply wanted to be home – hoping to find safety in their familiar surroundings. As my wife and I walked, every tall building felt like a potential landmine. To say it was a tense walk home is an understatement.

On that beautiful September day and those immediately following, I experienced a profound change. A naiveté and sense of ease were gone. There was a war a going on and though I never signed up, or had a gun, or was part of a battalion, I was on the battlefield. I will forever see the world differently.

There is evil in the world. That evil needs to be rooted out. We may not always be comfortable with how it is done, and it may not always be handled how we would prefer. Yet, it must be handled by any means necessary and those who do the work should be appreciated.

There are three people dead so far, including an 8 year boy. There are 138 people injured. Yet, there is a whole city that is affected and many more.  I mourn those who are lost. I pray for the families who feel a personal loss. On this beautiful April day, many more people have also lost their innocence. I am deeply sorry that they have joined this uneasy fraternity.

34 thoughts on “A Terrible Club

  1. This really upset me when I heard about it on CNN. Two bombs go off in Boston near marathon. When I first heard about it the news said there were only 22 injured. Now i find out there is almost 140 now!? This is crazy. The worst part about it is that this is a terrorist attack with a message. I say this because this massacre could have been extremely worse. If you think about it, these terrorist bombed Boston on a very important day and by a marathon. What if, and god forbid, they attack times square with even more explosive power or something similar. There are so many mixed emotions and thoughts from hearing about this attack in Boston. People losing lives, loved ones, on what was a nice spring day. I pray tonight for the people who were injured, killed or effected in any way by this terrorist attack today in Boston.

    • I agree that they are sending a message. They want to create fear and anxiety in the free world. They sicken me.
      I am terribly sad for those who feel a personal sense of loss.

  2. Larry, thank you for sharing your powerful thoughts on this tragedy. I definitely relate to the unrecoverable loss of innocence in these tragedies and send my thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by those who transact terror and value life so little. A hug to you and your family tonight.

  3. i still wonder why boston.
    maybe they would have done it to nyc but the marathon was canceled.
    or maybe boston is just not super secure like nyc
    good post

    • WHile of course I don’t know why, I would guess they do this sort of thing becuase they can. They would do it where ever they can and whenever they can.

  4. Hello,
    Thank you for such a poignant and sensitive article that point out the realities of today’s world. I live on the European Continent, and I can certainly testify to the dangers that have been lurking here for years. There are times when I go shopping in a mall or downtown in a big city and I shudder when I see an unused large box or suitcase without an owner lying on the streets. The bomb squad is usually called in and suddenly the streets are closed down, and my day––along with many other people– of delight at shopping disappears. The only thing I want to do is leave the city and go home.

    As an American expatriate, my heart goes out to the people of my country because many of them have never lived under such tension and fear. They have a rosy colored view of how people live in the world. Many Americans don’t understand that there are countries who are not interested in peace, in democracy, in inalienable rights of mankind, and they will go to any means to enact their own ideas of how people should live. We see this every day with the bombings in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Mali and many other countries. There is a war going on, and it is about time that we stop being polemic and examine the real intent of those countries that dominate through fear.

    My heart goes out to those bereaved families and all of those who were injured. I agree with you whole heartedly. Yesterday, the innocence of the people in Boston was robbed. The world will never be the same for them again.

    Shalom,
    Patricia

    • Thanks Pat for your heartfelt commments.
      I very much agree with the sentiments you express in the second paragraph. It is a war and while unconventional and shadowy, me must fight the war to the fullest extent possible so that days like yesterday no longer occur.

  5. I feel really rotten, but maybe, one day, after one of these attacks, the U.S. will admit that terror has nothing to do with whether or not you deserve it.
    Maybe there should be a U.S. Apartheid Week?
    Terror is because somebody hates YOU, not because of anything YOU did. Just because of who you are. What you did is a good, politically acceptable excuse, but it’s not the real reason.

    Obviously, it really hurts to see (or hear, since I refuse to read the article) these things happen, especially when kids are involved. It’s really, really, upsetting (and that’s why I refuse to read the article; hearing about it was more than enough).
    But at the same time – these things will only stop when terror becomes recognized for what it is. And in the meantime, it’s not just the U.S. – Israel deals with these things multiple times Every. Single. Day.

    So while I am hurting for the families – or perhaps because I am – , I want to kick Obama in the face. Along with all the other government officials that have their heads in the sand.
    Because these things shouldn’t be allowed to happen.
    Not once.
    Not twice.
    Not ever.
    Period.
    Anywhere.

    • Firstly, I can only imagine how you in Israel view this. Sadly, this is old hat for you though each attack brings out a fresh does of sadness and loss.
      Overall, I agree with your strongly worded and deep sentiments.
      Thanks for your comments.

  6. beautiful post Larry. I mourn the loss of any life, no matter what circumstances. One minute you think you are safe, the next minute your world falls apart…

  7. I really like that last line because it is a great analogy but it also symbolizes that we can all come together in this time of sadness and rely on each other, help each other and find solace in each other. No matter the depth of how we were affected…we were all affected in some way by this act just as were by Sandy Hook, 9/11 etc. It helps to talk about it, write about it and do something good for someone else to restore some humanity.

  8. The past 12 years have been hard, and each new tragedy is a new wound. It’s hard to imagine us ever regaining our innocence again, isn’t it?

  9. The murder of an 8year old boy, and injuring his sister for life, that is evil. Whether it happens in Boston, Belfast, Warrington, Syria or Iraq. No child, no adult should have to live in fear of this happening but it does happen all over the world, every day. Its a terrible thing to explain that to your children. And a terrible thing that people do this to each other.
    My heart goes out to that boy’s family. A senseless tragedy.

  10. “A naiveté and sense of ease were gone.”—Well said, and so true. I don’t think any of us have returned to our pre-911 states, not entirely, anyway.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. I appreciate it.

    • I just don’t think we will ever entirely return to our pre 9/11 states. At this point, I don’t think we should.

  11. very well written! I have prayed and will pray! and I am mourning too! don’t understand why these ugly things happen! (sorry it’s difficult for me to express myself about this)

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