When the World Stopped
There are several moments in history referred to as life changing moments for society at large. The instant when something momentuous, and usually tragic, occurred. For the rest of that generation *the* question becomes: where were you when?
I can think of several since I have been alive.
Where were you when Kennedy was shot?
Where were you when the first man walked on the moon?
Where were you when Saigon fell?
Where were you when the Space Shuttle exploded?
and of course the two biggies...
Where were you when the Murrow Bldg and the Twin Towers were blown up?
Times when in one blink of the eye the world changed forever. When you feel like Alice and wonder just what would be on the other side of the looking glass.
However there are other moments when the world also stopped for you. Private moments. Ones which you may be the only person aware that for a brief second the world stopped spinning and your reality was changed forever.
Like with the ones affecting large groups of people unfortunately the majority of these are tragic occurances. The ones which years later still make you want to curl up in a corner and pull a blanket over your head. That is because tragedy seems to leave a more lasting imprint on our psyche.
Sometimes you have to stop and think to remember that others though were miracles of joy.
These are the ones which years later still bring a flutter to your heart and a smile to your face.
The moments when the world stops spinning and we pass into that black hole is a defining moment for all. Whether we are talking about a private or a public one. They are what we use to shape whom we become. T
he question is:
Do we use the joyous ones to stop having empathy for those less fortunate?
Do we make the tragic ones an excuse to stop living or to lash out at others?
or do we use them to make both ourselves and our world a better place for all?
Unfortunately the tendancy at the present in both our private worlds and our world at large is to use tragic moments as an excuse to lash out and punish others...and to use joyous ones as an excuse to think we are better and more blessed then the those less fortunate.
I can think of several since I have been alive.
Where were you when Kennedy was shot?
Where were you when the first man walked on the moon?
Where were you when Saigon fell?
Where were you when the Space Shuttle exploded?
and of course the two biggies...
Where were you when the Murrow Bldg and the Twin Towers were blown up?
Times when in one blink of the eye the world changed forever. When you feel like Alice and wonder just what would be on the other side of the looking glass.
However there are other moments when the world also stopped for you. Private moments. Ones which you may be the only person aware that for a brief second the world stopped spinning and your reality was changed forever.
Like with the ones affecting large groups of people unfortunately the majority of these are tragic occurances. The ones which years later still make you want to curl up in a corner and pull a blanket over your head. That is because tragedy seems to leave a more lasting imprint on our psyche.
Sometimes you have to stop and think to remember that others though were miracles of joy.
These are the ones which years later still bring a flutter to your heart and a smile to your face.
The moments when the world stops spinning and we pass into that black hole is a defining moment for all. Whether we are talking about a private or a public one. They are what we use to shape whom we become. T
he question is:
Do we use the joyous ones to stop having empathy for those less fortunate?
Do we make the tragic ones an excuse to stop living or to lash out at others?
or do we use them to make both ourselves and our world a better place for all?
Unfortunately the tendancy at the present in both our private worlds and our world at large is to use tragic moments as an excuse to lash out and punish others...and to use joyous ones as an excuse to think we are better and more blessed then the those less fortunate.
posted by Kharma @ 7:35 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home