Q5) “A boy who has expressed such interest in tragedies and their human aftermath, like the Titanic, Mt. St. Helens’ eruption, the Johnstown Flood, and a few others, acted as if the horrible tragedy of the World Trade Center was as trivial, and as usual, as a Mariners loss. Perhaps he simply didn’t understand the enormity of it, the idea that in an instant thousands of people died. And maybe it was because it was happening now, happening to people who were alive just hours before, not like the disasters of the past. I told him that it would be a day he would remember for the rest of his life. But in fact that may not be true. He may not remember it, at least not as something he personally experienced, even if it was three thousand miles away and on television during breakfast. It is something that I will always remember, and so I almost envied him that day. I felt lousy for a week because of what happened, but Ned didn’t. His indifference was bliss.” p.13
This passage brings up many questions. How do you deal with tragedy in your family? Do you share tragic events with your loved ones? Do “current events” in the world interest him/her? How does your loved one react? Do you think “indifference” is enviable or something to be sad about?
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