If you are losing faith in human nature today...

What happened yesterday in Boston was a horrible tragedy and it will take a long time for this to be fully absorbed and understood, if such an event can ever be understood.  There is a lot of information missing still and a lot of confusion about the investigation itself.  And yet, even in the midst of this horrific act, there are also some wonderful stories to read.  There have been many posts about how after the first blast, people ran away from the bomb site, but the EMT's, firemen, police and BAA officials all ran towards it.  Think of the bravery that takes, to run into the face of known danger.  In addition, runners and bystanders alike did what they could to help the wounded, or to help those who couldn't help themselves.  Ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things.  Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley was quoted as saying: "Moments like this and our response to them define who we are,"  Those who were present and helped in Boston yesterday were heroes.  As Howard Fineman wrote in an OpEd piece on the Huffington Post "In the end, the terrorists will fail because Bostonians did not turn from their fellow men -- they turned toward them"  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howard-fineman/boston-marathon-patriots-day_b_3088070.html

I'd like to share a couple of other articles with you that talk about this much more clearly than I could.  First, from the title of this post, here is a fantastic article in The Washington Post about why people run marathons and why this won't stop runners:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/15/if-you-are-losing-faith-in-human-nature-go-out-and-watch-a-marathon/

"If you are losing faith in human nature today, watch what happens in the aftermath of an attack on the Boston Marathon. The flood of donations crashed the Red Cross’s Web site. The organization tweeted that its blood supplies are already full. People are lining up outside of Tufts Medical Center to try and help. Runners are already vowing to be at marathons in the coming weeks and months. This won’t be the last time the squeakers run Boston. This won’t be the last time we gather at the finish line to marvel how much more we can take than anyone ever thought possible."

And for those of you who are derisive about today's social media driven world, - it can be used for the power of good as well: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/16/177443006/social-media-helped-find-loved-ones-after-marathon-bombing.  and http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/04/15/boston-marathon-blast-help/2086273/

I personally was overwhelmed with the phonecalls, text messages and FB posts I received from friends who were checking in on me.  Even though I have never been lucky enough to run Boston, friends wanted to make sure I was safe.  And I love you all for that.  If I ever do get lucky (i.e. fast) enough to qualify for Boston, I will absolutely be there, lined up at the start, because I won't let terrorists ruin the sport I love.  In the NY Times editorial, the Editorial Board writes "The simple joy of a 26.2-mile run was shattered on Monday. But the marathon will be back next year, no matter how much security is required, and the crowds should yell twice as loudly. No act of terrorism is strong enough to shatter a tradition that belongs to American history."

Hear, hear.