London Explosions

I don't need to tell you about what's happened in London. Plenty of other pundits have no doubt done that for you. For some reason this has affected me pretty deeply and I'm not exactly sure why.

It could have something to do with the fact that my brother and my sister-in-law are in London, albeit unharmed. It could be a flashback to my feelings in 2001, sitting watching the aftermath of the horrific event that served as an excuse to trigger the current hostility. It could be the other people I know in London, all of whom appear to be safe.

It could be stories like this one from one of the forum moderators I share duties with over at the Adobe User Forums.

"My son just phoned to say his partner was on a bus stuck in traffic in London - all underground railway stations closed by explosions - as the bus was going nowhere she got off and walked up the road, and as she did so it exploded throwing her to the ground. She's lucky to be alive he says."

Perhaps it's because after having just reiterated on a friend's weblog my belief in the general good of people and our collective quest for an overall purpose that encompasses all humanity, a common reason for individuals to come together as a species, I'm reminded just how pathetic, small-spirited and ideologically weak people can be.

I'm also aware of the academically sanitised way that some people out there are no doubt looking at the event. There's nothing like self-serving snobbery to make you feel superior.

That's why what Douglas Rushkoff said in his blog today really hit its mark with me today.

"I'm supposed to have something intelligent to say about this morning's blasts in London. It's become one of those obligatory blog things - so much so, that people are emailing me today asking why I haven't said anything about it.

Which angle to choose?

That the number of deaths in daily car bombs in Iraq regularly outnumber today's casualties? Do I dare tally Africa in there? The ongoing death toll from Tsunami aftermath?

...No - none of that cleverness will do, even though it's the bread and butter for OpEd and blog writers alike. I don't have the heart to spin off on these little tendrils, anymore. It's the people who died and their survivors to whom my thoughts and prayers go out. This is a highly unnecessary war we're in, and its extraordinary complexity only underscores how many points of attack there are for ending it."

:: Douglas Rushkoff - Blasted Blasts ::