Three links down

183 dead in four Baghdad blasts. It was the third headline down, buried beneath news from Blacksburg and the massacre at Virginia Tech.

Wednesday brought the "highest death toll since The Associated Press began recording daily nationwide deaths in May 2005." 233 dead. My heart broke a little, thinking of the juxtaposition, an ongoing massacre half a world away and one on a college campus a couple of hours southwest of home.

My heart broke with each image, each story, with Dr. Librescu, a Holocaust victim who gave his life to save his students. Ryan “Stack” Clark, resident adviser, friend. Beautiful dancer, loving daughter Reema Samaha. Three gut-wrenching stories of 32. All day, every day, the news focused on the tragedy: the victims, the survivors, and the man who caused so much pain.

I trawled the headlines, looking for something different, anything different. Guilty about wanting to stick my head in the sand, I looked. Three links down: 183 dead, a nationwide total of 233, in a single day. I might have missed it if I weren't looking for something different, anything different. In my search for something to pull my mind from tragedy, I sunk even deeper.

I thought of the college-aged boys I'd met at the bar, military men barely old enough to drink and willing to give their lives in Iraq. I thought of the New York Times website, the piece from New Year's, the multi-page spread with images of United States service members who gave their lives. Lost their lives? Military men and women. Barely out of high school, some of them.

In my recent read, Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing up in the Shadow of Saddam, Zainab Salbi told a story of opulence and oppression, growing up in Iraq under the despot. She gave the people of Iraq names and faces.

183 dead in Baghdad, 233 nationwide might have included boys from the bar, Salbi's family and friends. In Blacksburg, 32. I struggled to avoid thoughts of Waco, of Oklahoma City, of Columbine. I could only process so much.

I thought about sending care packages to Tech students. About care packages to soldiers. I changed the channel and buried myself in work. I wouldn't hide from the news but I would monitor my exposure. On the weekend, I would volunteer. I would spend time my friends, my family and live a good life. What's a girl to do?




Tag: News Overwhelmed