Coming to Terms

This morning's Seattle Times seemed especially morbid....thousands dead in Bangladesh from a devastating cyclone, 63 more in a Ukraine mine explosion, a local soldier killed in Iraq, a double-homocide involving a young couple in Graham, WA, etc.. And all I wanted was the NYT Sunday crossword puzzle.

I started thinking about why I am, lately, more affected by tragic news, and recalled an incident that happened about a month ago. Walking out of the neighborhood Mini-Mart, I noticed a sickly homeless man sitting at a bus stop across the street. 'That dude looks like he's gonna die', I briefly thought, then continued on my way. The next day, returning home on a route passing by the same bus stop, I witnessed a team of medics transferring the man's body into an ambulance. I couldn't help but wonder if there was anything that I could've done the day before to save the guy's life.

A little over three years ago, a dear friend slipped away in front of my eyes at the end of her battle against terminal cancer. In some ways, her passing hardened me for the worse than better...I viewed humankind's raison d'être as irrational & insignificant. But as time goes on, I am rebuilding a stronger sense of compassion, perhaps by convincing myself that my departed friend would want me to be the same person she once knew. It's a long process, but maybe my somber reaction toward today's news items & the regret I experienced regarding the man at the bus stop indicate a positive personal progression.

I now often think about starlight, and how, even though its source is long gone, the beautiful illumination remains forever.