One More Take on July 7th

To be honest, had I not been asked to make some kind of personal statement about July 7th I would not have thought twice about it. The date has no personal connection with me. I could not tell you the “real” name of any one person who lives in England. The seventh of July means the same to me as the seventh of any month.

I read about it on the interweb. After the initial thoughts of sadness for all of humanity I was struck with the feeling of solidarity. A terrorist attack that was not directed at America. We are not alone. Nobody is safe, and yet, what can anybody do?

A radical extremist who decides to make a statement through suicide bombing is not a person who can ever be reasoned with, or affected by political/religious tolerance. Should the whole world have to change to pacify the especially violent and especially radical minority?

What could England have done in hindsight to change the course of events that lead up to the tube bombing? What could America have done to “prevent” 9/11? Probably nothing. The people that become terrorists are not, by definition, people who can be reasoned with, changed, or tolerated on the same level that 99% of the rest of the worlds population can be.

What can the average person do? I have no idea. The best thing I can think of is to teach communication, toleration, and acceptance. Accept that people are different. Accept that political views are different. Accept differences in religion.

Accept the very idea that what makes us all different is what makes us all special. Do not fear the differences, embrace the differences.