I woke up on Monday in anticipation of what was supposed to be a great day. Patriots' Day in Boston, Ma., is always a great spectacle, with the annual early-afternoon Red Sox game and, of course, the world's oldest marathon.
This year, my brother and some friends from home were running in it, so my excitement for the event was higher than usual. Right before my afternoon class, I heard he finished in less than three hours. Win. Then I saw the Red Sox had won in walk-off fashion. Double win. I walked into class with absolute joy. Then, the unthinkable happened.
We have all seen the photos and watched the videos. We have all felt the pain. The terror attacks that hit Boston struck the lives of thousands of people across the country. They placed a dark cloud over a day dedicated to the Boston community and the power of the American spirit.
In the wake of a day as tragic as this, it is easy to look at the world and see only darkness. But if we choose only to look at this day this way, that cowardly attacker wins. I choose to be witness to the triumph of the human spirit in Boston. I choose to focus not on the videos of the panic at the finish line, but on the videos of my oldest brother hopping into the race to run alongside my other brother for the last five miles, pumping up the crowd and getting the masses to cheer his name. I choose to tune into CNN not to see the injury total rise, but to look at images of strangers helping strangers in need.
This is what humanity is all about. It is about staring danger in the eyes to help one another. Boston epitomized that on Monday. Boston is and always will be strong. They will overcome this as a community of brothers and sisters in humanity. Boston has shown us its true colors, its valor and its perseverance. We just have to choose to look. We must choose to be the light in the darkness.
For Boston.
Paul Kearney
sophomore
Keough Hall
April 16
