in reading the posts that people have made on the boards i’ve been really impressed by what’s been written by some of the board members who are actually in the military or police or nsa. i’ve been impressed by their balanced and rational assessment of the situation, for their really is no harm to be had in assessing something in as balanced and rational way as possible.
so, thanks for your calm voices of reason.
in other news…the air outside of my apartment today is utterly foul.
so now i have such simple aspirations for the way in which the next few days and weeks might go.
a lot of people want vengeance and retribution. personally i just want to be able to go outside without gagging on the foul air. a lot of people seem to want war. i just want for my friends who’ve lost family members to be able to grieve in peace. a lot of people want to make the arab world pay for their crimes. i just want to be able to go to sleep knowing that my city and my friends will be there when i wake up.
i know, perhaps i’m blinded by my parochialism. perhaps this tragedy has turned me into a provincial simpleton (or rather reinforced my status as a provincial simpleton).
i’ve always thought that the common denominator of all unethical behaviour is the desire to violently force ones will onto other people. that’s what’s essentially behind rape and murder and abuse and terrorism and the other ethical plagues that mar our world. and the naive part of me just wants it to end. i hold out this hope for a world wherein people would never violently force their will onto others. and yes, i know that i’m pathetically naive. but i still hold out hope.
well, the air is bad today, so my lungs and skin are starting to hurt again.
very simply, i wonder if all of this will ever be over.
-moby