A Strong People

Notes of Concern…

                               …Jackson Blair

A STRONG PEOPLE

By the time this column is published many Americans will be over their original shock at the bombing of the Boston Marathon. They will be back at work following their regular routine. And they will have tucked away the sadness in their heart to be recalled from time to time but not to capture the good minutes and the good days that are what we call “normal.”

It is not that we Americans are insensitive but rather that those roots established so long ago, funnily enough right here in New England, somehow get passed down through our genetic structure and family heritage. I am speaking here of a sort of American stoicism.

We are a tough people.

It was as true after Pearl Harbor and the Sandy Hook school tragedies as it was after the horrific 911 attacks and more recently the event in Boston.

We instinctively know how to deal with sadness.

We instinctively manage to control our anger until we can make reasoned decisions, based in fact and well thought through.

Our flags go to half-staff.

Our President reassures us.

All the people trained as first responders do what it is that they do so well. We are well prepared to react quickly and this saves many lives.

And we know that behind the scenes, quietly and effectively, the folks who spend their lives learning how to ferret out the most evil among us are already working around the clock to ensure not only that the perpetrator(s) does not elude justice and that we learn from yet another tragedy better ways to provide protection and security in the future.

Life in America is back to normal. That is healthy.

We are a people who stop to help.

We are a people who stop to grieve.

And we are a people who can hold tight the sad memories while getting back to the business of living.

God Blesssed America.