4/17/13
I was listening to my favorite podcast this afternoon and during
the introduction the host + Aisha Tyler made some brief but heartfelt remarks
about the Boston Marathon tragedy. She
basically encouraged her listeners to not let this tragedy get us down and that
a few evildoers in the world should not destroy life for the rest of us. I agree of course and I also feel like kind
of an asshole since the only thing that I have been writing about for the last two days is
a trivial issue with work. It is
unfortunate that it takes major tragedies like this to remind us that our troubles
are not really that bad. Lives were lost
and limbs were separated from bodies. My
life is really not that bad. I am also
grappling with the idea that since things like this are a part of our history,
I should find a way to rip myself away from my occasional self-absorption and
recognize what I should be putting in print.
Is this what separates the good writers from the bad? Since I have been bold enough to take on the
mantle of writer is it now my responsibility to be aware of every cataclysmic
event that happens around the world? I’m not sure if that is even possible, but
I guess I should try. It is possible
that my insights on things like Boston would probably matter to more people,
because in tragic times like these people want someone to articulate what they
cannot. The only problem is I’m not sure
if anyone would want me to speak for them.
I realize that it takes a tremendous amount of confidence bordering on
arrogance to put myself in the position to represent what a mass of people
might be thinking, which is why I mostly speak for myself. But what I have found is that this habit has
left me with a very short list of readers.
There is one thing that I’m sure of though. This was a horrific event and the citizens of
Boston showed tremendous courage in finding their way through the maze of
emotions that have resulted from it. And before I go into another self-absorbed
rant about my writing process, I’ve decided that not much can be said except
that my prayers go out to those people and the most prolific thing that I can
offer at this moment is silence…
