I would like to offer a moment of silence for all of those people injured and killed in the explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15th. This was a truly heinous attack, and I hope that justice is served quickly and carefully.
Lest we forget, the names of the three victims that are confirmed killed in the blast are:
-Krystle Campbell of Arlington, Mass (age 29)
-Martin Richard of Dorchester, Mass (age 8)
-and an unnamed Chinese National who attended Boston University
We are all going to experience fear and anger in the days and weeks after this attack, and that is perfectly understandable and natural. I do want to offer a word of caution, though, about how we let these feelings impact the way we view the world and people around us.
Be angry at the people who carried out the bombing. Hope that they receive justice for what they did. But do not allow the actions of one or two or a handful of individuals impact the way that you view the people around you. We do not yet know who is responsible for the bombing; we do not yet know their motives. There has been a lot of speculation as to whether this was al-Qaeda or some kind of domestic terrorism, but there is no proof wither way. Do not jump to conclusions until the facts are in.
And remember, when we do know who is responsible for the attack, direct your anger at them. Not at all Muslims, or all libertarians, or all Republicans or Democrats or Christians or Jews. Save your anger for the people responsible, not for others who share some kind of connection to them, whether it is religion or nationality or political ideology.
God bless.