I was examining my reaction to the recent terror attacks today. I've listened to those who, like me, weren't there or otherwise directly affected say they were shocked, horrified, and upset. I've felt none of these. I've found myself feeling that these events are boringly predictable and faintly irritating.
This isn't about a lack of empathy, I do sympathise with all those affected. I do get annoyed at those spouting ill informed nonsense after the event. Nor is it hubris nor a lack of comprehension. I was born in the '60s and grew up against a background of terrorism. At times it seemed that every week brought news of bombings, hijackings, and abductions by groups such as the Red Brigade, Baader-Meinhof, and various Palestinian groups.
I worked in London during the era of the IRA's car and truck bombs. I narrowly missed being involved in one thanks to a British Rail delay to my usual train (oh, the irony). I felt my office rock on it's foundations when the two park bombs went off. It was a bit unsettling given my desk was on the 16th floor. Decades later, It gave me a minuscule insight into why people chose to fling themselves off the Twin Towers in New York rather than burn. At the time, my reaction was a forerunner of what I've heard on the news recently. An intense irritation, a mental "Well, f**k you too" followed by a silent oath to continue my life as it was before, albeit a more vigilant one.
I've been led to wonder whether I've been hardened against such events by the time into which I was born. Did listening to my parents and grandparents talk of their experience of the World Wars have an effect on my views today? Did living though the birth of modern terrorism shape my emotional and intellectual responses today? I guess the answer would have to be "Yes". Does the lack of such history make recent events that more shocking, more frightening for younger people? Does the all pervasive media now make it more difficult to put aside the scariness, make nightmares more likely for the young? Again, I would assume so. In which case, how can my generation make it easier for our youth, particularly those who are sitting at home or primary school in tears through a lack of comprehension despite family and teachers explaining the rarity of such events. It's hardly reassuring to be told being run down or dying falling out of bed is more likely statistically!
More questions than answers in my blog today, I know. Thoughts, readers?
This isn't about a lack of empathy, I do sympathise with all those affected. I do get annoyed at those spouting ill informed nonsense after the event. Nor is it hubris nor a lack of comprehension. I was born in the '60s and grew up against a background of terrorism. At times it seemed that every week brought news of bombings, hijackings, and abductions by groups such as the Red Brigade, Baader-Meinhof, and various Palestinian groups.
I worked in London during the era of the IRA's car and truck bombs. I narrowly missed being involved in one thanks to a British Rail delay to my usual train (oh, the irony). I felt my office rock on it's foundations when the two park bombs went off. It was a bit unsettling given my desk was on the 16th floor. Decades later, It gave me a minuscule insight into why people chose to fling themselves off the Twin Towers in New York rather than burn. At the time, my reaction was a forerunner of what I've heard on the news recently. An intense irritation, a mental "Well, f**k you too" followed by a silent oath to continue my life as it was before, albeit a more vigilant one.
I've been led to wonder whether I've been hardened against such events by the time into which I was born. Did listening to my parents and grandparents talk of their experience of the World Wars have an effect on my views today? Did living though the birth of modern terrorism shape my emotional and intellectual responses today? I guess the answer would have to be "Yes". Does the lack of such history make recent events that more shocking, more frightening for younger people? Does the all pervasive media now make it more difficult to put aside the scariness, make nightmares more likely for the young? Again, I would assume so. In which case, how can my generation make it easier for our youth, particularly those who are sitting at home or primary school in tears through a lack of comprehension despite family and teachers explaining the rarity of such events. It's hardly reassuring to be told being run down or dying falling out of bed is more likely statistically!
More questions than answers in my blog today, I know. Thoughts, readers?
