‘The good outnumber the evil’
Tuesday’s bomb attacks in the Boston Marathon sent chills felt around the world amid the ongoing tension between the two Koreas and, in our part of the planet, the summer heat of this year’s mid-term elections rising in a crescendo.
There are questions to be asked.
The big question on everyone’s mind remains the identity of the perpetrators, the mastermind behind the attack and why.
Cebu, where running is also a popular sport, is not immune to concerns about the safety of running events even from terrorist attacks which have so far been remote in these parts.
The Boston Marathon bombing may be used by local organizers to justify adding layers of security measures not just in running events but also major international sports events like last year’s Ironman 70.3 which draws both foreign and domestic competitors.
Where before the joke was that stray dogs were the biggest to runners in the Ironman 70.3 (the reason the Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City governments rounded up the mutts a day before the event), the Boston Marathon attack may have changed the picture.
Police and military intelligence will have to weigh in if the factor being watched is a terrorist threat.
Metro Cebu hosts, particularly Lapu-Lapu City which has managed so far to draw big ticket sporting events, would have to detail extra personnel to inspect and guard the route from starting point to finish line.
With the death of four victims, including an eight-year-old child and the suffering caused in the world’s most prestigious marathon, there is no cause that justifies this violence.
We join the voices of many who condemn the senseless attack. But we also remember that the culprits are outnumbered by those who choose to do good.
Like comedian Patton Oswalt, who posted this reaction in Twitter:
“I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, ‘Well, I’ve had it with humanity.’
“But I was wrong. I don’t know what’s going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths.
“But here’s what I do know. If it’s one person or a hundred people, that number is not even a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out…”
“The vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak…
“So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, ‘The good outnumber you, and we always will.’”
Such words help bring perspective in the Boston attack and give hope that healing and justice will come for victims of the tragedy.
