Last week, I was overwhelmed with sadness and disbelief as I watched the Boston Marathon bombing story unfold. I felt such pain for the families and friends who lost loved ones, for the people who must re-learn their bodies and face entirely new lives, for another city that lost its sense of security. But I also felt pain for the innocent American citizens who received hateful threats and faced accusations simply because of the color of their skin. It has been difficult for me to see the Boston events being used to fuel anti-immigration arguments, to advocate torture, to support stripping the Constitutional rights of an American citizen.
As we struggle to understand how two young men who spent much of their lives in the United States could have committed such a heinous act, I realize that we may never find any satisfactory answers. I hope that we are able to learn as much as we can from this incident, but I also fiercely hope that we are able to hold on to what makes this country so great during that process.
It can be difficult, but in the face of fear, hate, and what often feels like simply evil, I try to remember that there is also so much good in the world. Whenever I feel myself getting too negative, I find and re-read this quote by Howard Zinn. His words are beautiful, and ultimately, so true. They never fail to reset my perspective.
