What do you say to someone, in any language, when their father has been kidnapped?

The Unwanted Half of an Eddy

There are a thousand reasons why 9/11 scared us. But more than the attack on our national pride, the airport security ramifications and the vulnerability felt by so many, what should weigh heaviest on our hearts are the thousands dead, the thousands injured and the thousands of mourning friends and family left behind.

By most counts, 9/11 is the deadliest terrorist attack in modern history. The service at ground zero in the morning, the events on campus tomorrow night and the countless events happening around the country and world this week commemorate that. Let us take this an opportunity to mourn those 3,000 lost lives — and all the innocent lives taken by violent acts throughout the world. 

Because of the massiveness of its atrocity — and because it happened here — 9/11 can overshadow the acts of terrorism that are constantly occurring. 

The University of Maryland’s Global Terrorism Database lists 730 terrorism attacks other than the Sept. 11 bombings reported between Aug. 1 and Nov. 1, 2011. Hundreds died, in just those three months, in minor and major incidents in India, Switzerland, Algeria, Sri Lanka, Russia — everywhere. 

Terrorism happens every day. If it’s not an attack on a business or government building, a bomb in a subway or an assassination of a leader, it’s destruction of private property. 

In addition to all that, so many of our soldiers — and soldiers from the United Nations, the U.K. and every nation that has a force that works to promote peace — operate in environments of terror every day, trying to make the world a better place. 

Putting an end to fear and violence takes those soldiers. It takes government diplomats. It takes every single one of us, doing the very best we can to swallow our pride and animosity and xenophobia, every single day. 

A real war on terror has no start and end dates. 

A Spanish class assignment, turned blog post

Cuando estaba en Londres durante el verano, saqué la foto siguiente. Tengo muchas más mejoras fotos de la catedral de San Pablo, pero quiero decirle lo que veo en esta que causa que la me gusta.

Veo las personas en la calle, la familia y las profesionales – todos extraños – caminando como si no exista la estructura grande sobre su nivel. Compartan una calle, y probablemente mucho más, pero sus conversaciones solamente centran en el día hermoso y los asuntos de trabajo. Caminan bajo de una sombra de Dios, mientras que Dios le mira y con cariño le permite que caminan en pasos sencillos.  

Los dos edificios en la calle son altos, pero no son bastante altos que pueden comparar con el catedral. La catedral es enmarcada por los edificios – centros comerciales o apartamentos, como sean.  La torre de la catedral aumenta al cielo, que aparece blanco – y roba, casi, la torre de su esplendor. 

La foto sí muestra la catedral, pero con sólo un susurro de su grandiosidad. Esto es por qué me gusta.