This is the time to take a moment from talking about what’s going on in future elections, current Congresses and other issues that have dominated the airwaves over the past couple days.
Sometimes we must take a moment to step back and remember those who are not here. If we wait too long, the moment might pass us by and we may not honor those who not here anymore.
In times of tragedy, there really isn’t anything we can do to change things. Unfortunately we don’t have time machines nor do we have anyway of changing the current situations.
The Boston Marathon bombings is example A on why I wish we could change things. I wish it never happened, I wish the incessant profiling of people never happened nor the horrific rushed assumptions that occurred that day. But most importantly, I wish that those who were killed that day (and Sean Collier later in the week) were still here. I wish Krystle Campbell, Collier, Lu Lingzi and Martin Richard were here right now with their families.
Its an injustice that they are not here. But its more of a reflection on our culture that we know more about the suspect’s Twitter accounts than we do about the victims. These were people who were taken away from families, who were there to cheer on their friends or family members and those who just wanted to enjoy a beautiful Monday afternoon.
Now I would like to honor Krystle Campbell, Sean Collier, Lu Lingzi and Martin Richard this way. I want to challenge other people to wear blue and gold (the colors of the Boston Marathon finish lines) on Tuesday, May 7th. Yes, its a random day but I chose that to see if we can still remember those who were not here.
No, this won’t “change” things; I understand that and have heard all the arguments that people have used. But we should never be united exclusively in hatred of faceless enemies. We should unite when others need it, which is obviously too often.
So please join my Facebook event here to announce your pledge to join us in Blue & Gold Day.
Also, we have another idea as well. As some frequent readers know, I am a collegiate athlete for Kutztown University cross country & track. Our coach decided, and we all agreed, that it would be a great idea to set up a scholarship fund in the name of Martin Richard to give to his two siblings when they become of college age. We will match the donation amounts for up to $3,000 cumulative if we can get that high.
Please email me at [email protected] (remember TWO L’S in POLLITICS, not POLITICS) so I can give you the exact information of my Coach as I’m sure he might not want his personal information out there.
But please consider and join us.
