Heroes, Courage, Trauma and Recovery

Yesterday, April 15th, 2013, two explosions rocked the Boston Marathon as runners and their supporters gathered in the afternoon near the finish line. As the race was winding down, the sense of celebration was palpable in the air, only to be replaced by shock and panic as a scene including dozens of injured and three dead emerged through the smoke.None of us want to live our lives in fear of terrorism or unexpected trauma, yet in the reality of life in the 21st century, we are periodically reminded of our vulnerability. And while millions in places like the West Bank, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel live with the threat (and occurrence) of such violence on a regular basis, those of us within the borders of North America have been more inured to mass shootings than bombings over the last decade.Oklahoma City, Atlanta and the events of September 11th, 2001 still remain a part of the collective American zeitgeist, although we have, as of late, been more keenly focused on mass shootings like Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut.It's particularly tragic that parents of the slain children in Newtown, Connecticut were being honored as VIPs at the marathon, and they now have the misfortune to have witnessed yet another tragedy that must only add insult to their previously sustained psycho-emotional injuries. And the fact that an eight-year-old child died in one of the explosions only makes the situation even more poignantly lamentable.What moves me greatly about what hap...
Source: Digital Doorway - Category: Nurses Tags: compassion emergencies disasters Source Type: blogs