Boston: Triumph to Tragedy

Boston Carnage

Today was the day of the long running and prestigious Boston Marathon, arguably the most famous marathon event in the world, with runners from all over the world angling for the prestigious title, "Winner of the Boston Marathon." Marathons are popular events and thousands of people join for a variety of causes.

Some people who have struggled with weight issues for long periods and have embarked on successful weight loss programs may register to run in marathons. The desire is not to win, but as a personal celebration of reaching a milestones in their lives. Sometimes, family members join them and the celebration becomes a family event. It becomes their testimony of perseverance in the face of odds, a testament of their tenacity and courage, to look at themselves and say, "Wow, I just finished the Boston Marathon!"

Runner Down

Some people may have struggled with an acute illness from which they had never expected to recover. Some may have beaten back testicular, lung, colon, pancreatic and a host of other cancers for which the prognosis had not been good and yet they had somehow managed to survive through faith, perseverance, family and community support and have heard the magic words, "You are cancer free?" They decide to run the marathon as a celebration of life, to memorialize a second chance, to thank their maker for giving them one more shot to make things right.

Triumph to tragedy

Other people may just be philanthropists, engaged in some social venture to help the less fortunate. They may be seeking; the cure for a disease, helping establish a health care institution in some remote corner of the world, publicizing a venture aimed at ending hunger and poverty in some poor corner of the world, or in inner cities. Some may be promoting the cause of some alienated people, or commemorating a medical breakthrough.

Then there are those who had promised themselves to one day run and finish the Boston Marathon. They could be in their forties or could be as old as eighty. They could take 6 hours or even 9 hours, all they want to hear is the golden statement, "Grandpa ran the Boston Marathon"

But today the celebration ending horribly, as some lone individual or individuals, with evil on their minds and hatred in their hearts, decided to make this joyous day bitter, by turning celebration into carnage, achievement into tragedy.

Running From Blast

There are those among us who let prejudice, false doctrines, religious misinterpretation, and loyalty to ideas blind them to the value of human life. They use murder as a tool for publicizing some cause. There are those who have been brainwashed all their lives to view the world as "us versus them." Who have been taught taught that perpetrating evil in the vilest manner is the only way they can be listened to, the only way they can be heard.

So today, perverted minds decided to attack the finish line of the 26.2 mile Boston Marathon with bombs. As I heard a cameraman on TV shouting, "Oh my God, Oh my God!" It suddenly dawned on me that no cause on earth was worth this. The Boston Marathon was not a military parade, but a gathering of people from all over the world, coming together to celebrate as one.

My heart goes out to the parents of the 8 year old child who was killed and the hundreds who will be scarred for life from this senseless act of violence. May God help people to see that there are better ways to make a point than through mass murder and carnage and I pray that the perpetrators of this carnage are caught and brought to justice.



Sheku Sheriff

Segbwema Blogger