Tonight, I Mourn
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Tonight, I mourn.
I mourn with a deep and heavy heart.
I mourn for the Marines sacrificed at a gate in Kabul on a mission to save lives.
I mourn for the scores more killed and maimed by this deadly attack.
I mourn for those in danger of being left behind.
I mourn for the American service members who have already been lost and wounded over 20 years of brutal conflict, and the casualties of our allies and civilians.
I mourn for our nation, so torn by the most unseemly of politics, that a terrorist bomb becomes an excuse for point-scoring.
I mourn for a pandemic of anti-science conspiracy theories that is filling our ICUs beyond capacity and killing by the hundreds of thousands.
I mourn for all who have died because of the recklessness of others.
I mourn for our planet, sick and aching.
I mourn for all those suffering tonight, who are going to bed homeless, hungry, and frightened.
I mourn for a world in mourning.
I write this to find some solace in sharing this sadness with others, to find comfort in our common humanity. Loss is part of life. It comes in waves of unequal frequency, on a personal level and a global scale. We can create a space to share our feelings, tonight and going forward. Steady.
I leave you tonight with a famous quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, spoken by Malcolm in a moment of great tragedy:
"Give sorrow words: the grief that does not speak
Whispers the o'er-fraught heart and bids it break."
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Tonight, I Mourn
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/660000-white-flags-national-mall-honor-died-covid-19/65-252c6e73-5429-4462-9337-6aab19dc5e16
I know you've written about this in the past.
I will turn 70 next year.
I've lived through many of the same horror stories that Mr. Rather has. Always at a distance.
I've having trouble for the last two years, seeing the horror unfold, and the LACK of National Mourning. We will pass 700,000 dead in the US in a matter of days.
And National Life goes on. The News Media prints stories about egos gone rampant; and very few interested in governing...
The deaths keep growing.
It could be my imagination; if this were happening Back When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, it seems like something would be different. And then I think of the 5 Assassinations in 5 years, and the lack of public outcry.
Maybe we are all something we shouldn't be.
Regards, Marty Jones
mjarts.com
Thank you for saying so concisely what I and many others also feel. Sometimes the pain of all that needs fixing in our world weighs me down so heavily that I can't find any reason to believe that life will hold any joy at all by the time my teeny grandchildren become adults.
Then Mr. Roger's words for any disaster come to mind "Look for the Helpers". The helpers coming forth will give Hope back to the world- helpers who sit with those who mourn, helpers who are already organizing housing and supplies for the refugees, helper electricians and carpenters from many states speeding to hurricane damaged areas to restore power and begin rebuilding, helpers who are able to donate cash to organizations that will feed and clothe those in need. The helpers I hear and see rolling up their sleeves to get the hard work of helping wherever they see a need- this is what keeps me from despair.