What I have learned from all of my experiences in Boston is that, Bostonians are resilient, courageous.
Last year, legendary American journalist Tom Brokaw said, “people don’t want to know what happened, they want to know what it means.” I typically publish a Founder’s Note on a bi-weekly basis, but in the wake of Boston Marathon Bombing, how can I not express what the incident has done to this country as I receive numerous emails from Jetset Times contributors and our avid readers.
Since the inception of this platform last year, we’ve had 40+ contributors on this site, and I’ve interviewed quite a number of amazing talents in the Boston area. Since yesterday, I’ve been glued to the television, following every development of gathered information and graphic images since the bombing. To cope with grief, I paid a visit to a local Buddhist Temple in San Francisco’s Chinatown for some meditative perspective.
On my way upon entering the temple, I helped an older woman who was clearly suffering from back pain. In Chinese, I asked her what was wrong, as I held her arm. She explained that someone had robbed her purse a few weeks ago, she fell on the ground and still suffers from excruciating pain.
I wondered why human kind has come to this black hole. A few days ago, a shooting had occurred a few doors away from my apartment in a prestigious neighborhood in San Francisco. I immediately wanted to escape. I wanted to spend a few months on an unknown island and live life vicariously through an unaware and breezy atmosphere.
But I thought about Tom Brokaw’s words and the numerous contributors that look to me for directions each week. We don’t necessarily want to know what has happened, but what it all means to us, to our hearts. What do continuous terrorist attacks signify in our country? What can we do about it?
Of course, I don’t have an answer. But at the temple today, as I prayed to Buddhas, I realized that, it is about how we respond and our reflections upon the lives that we live. As travelers, we treasure moments. Good and bad. As lovers of life, we cherish strangers and loved ones the more we grow to know them.
We may not have answers to know who has done such a horrific crime, but we know the means that binds us as human beings. Regardless of culture, race, religion, sexuality; we are lovers of life and we aim to cross all barriers. In times like these, we turn on the switch: compassion, love and courage of no fear. We want to contribute to those who are hurt, injured and are dead. So we march on, united as one. Some may call it “the American spirit,” some may simply call it as: being human.
Boston is a familiar city to me. My best friend lives there and I have met some of the nicest and most open people in this patriotic city. What I have learned from all of my experiences in Boston is that, Bostonians are resilient, courageous to overcome madness and horrific crimes.
So far, we know that three people’s lives have been lost. One is a twenty-nine year old woman full of smiles, a Boston University student from China and an eight-year-old boy. None of these victims were soldiers at war serving this country at the frontline. They were innocent citizens just like you and I. Does this mean that we should remain indoor and never explore activities held in public arenas or does this mean for us to deter from exploring the world?
Quick responses and immediate journalistic reports have meant that we all care for human kind. We have compassion toward those who have been hurt. As human beings, we all share the same fears, anxiety, issues regarding love and death. These emotions surpass any reason we thought had separated us. As citizens of our country, or any country, we come together in tragedies such as these and hope to heal from wounds that attempt to scar.
