It’s been said that tragedy and devastation bring out the best in humans; it essentially acts as a uniting force for a nation. We saw it after the 9/11 terror attack, when off-duty firemen and policemen sacrificed their lives for the safety of others, we’ve seen media help galvanize recovery after the Sandy Hook massacre through #26actsofkindness, and now, five days after the Boston Marathon Explosions, we’ve heard runners heading straight to the hospital to donate for the victims.
However, at some point, justice must become the goal, for it is often the case that logic and reason dissipate and skepticism and vengeance overrule morale principles.
For example, years after 9/11, thousands profiled every Muslim as a terrorist, thus the Park51 controversy became that, a controversy. After the Sandy Hook shooting, millions pushed for gun control, New York State approved a new law making it difficult for the mentally ill to own any sort of gun. Celebration for this milestone ensued, but many don’t realize that doing so singled out the mentally ill.
When bombs went off as many cheered on the runners, Boston went on a three day manhunt. The day after, The New York Post announced that the Boston Police Department had arrested a Saudi Arabian as a main suspect for the case. The Boston Police Department denied this.
Later, due to the lack of any substantial information, more reputable news sources began conjuring theories about what might have really happened
“A civilian who thought he was acting suspiciously chased him down and tackled him and then turned him over to Boston police, saying, I saw this guy hanging around over there acting suspiciously. And then he ran. That may mean a lot, it may mean nothing at all.” Boston Magazine
Another incident occurred two days after the Marathon, when two men speaking Arabic were escorted off a flight filled with suspicious marathon runners.
It was the rush to point fingers and racial profiling that caused confusion and aggression. It’s a cycle, and while at the end we always manage to group together and recover as one cohesive human race, the process allows us, and even encourages us, to isolate particular groups that we may traditionally associate with the specific type of crime.
So, I wonder, as we recover from a tragic event do we heal in a way that makes us grow stronger or does this fear allow us to stray from the core principles of our nation?