I have heard two news stations, one considered liberal and one considered conservative, comment that the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing succeeded in instilling fear since the city has been shut down. What? How can we give them this credit? How can they say that for any other cuckoo bird listening to hear and possibly get motivated? How can they even think that?
There is a quote in a movie or show (I'll be damned if I can think of it) that I used as my title: Danger is very real, but fear is a choice. Boston may be dealing with danger and that would be why the government and police have chosen to shut down the city, but fear is not something they chose after this tragedy. If that was the case then the city wouldn't have had to be shut down by the government, people would have already been holing up in their homes with their doors locked. If that was the case then companies wouldn't have had to notify employees to stay at home, people wouldn't have been showing up to work. If that was the case than the Boston Bruins hockey game would have been empty...but on that last note, it was the exact opposite. Not only did that game look like a full house, but those people in the stands stood up during the National Anthem and belted out the words as loud as they could which said one thing to me-We are not afraid of you! You did NOT succeed.
Cities shut down for numerous reasons, hell, Boston was basically shut down a month or so ago because of snow, not because of fear, but rather because of safety. I feel quite confident that even though people are heeding the warnings and staying in because they want to let the police do their job and they don't want to get in the way. They want their families to be safe. I know some Bostonians, and I bet there are plenty biting at the bit to go outside and help bring down this asshole, but instead are letting the authorities do their job! And their job they are doing. The police aren't hiding or quitting their jobs, they are actually flocking from other districts to help. They aren't afraid of these maniacs, they are on a mission to bring them to justice and keep their city safe.
If we want to talk about instilling fear, the only fear that has been successful is the fear in the bombers. They are the ones afraid. Afraid of the city they thought they'd defeat, afraid of the authorities they thought they were smarter than, afraid of the consequences they know they will have to face when they are caught. One has already died in a fear induced panic and the other is not holding strong, outsmarting and taking down America-he is running and hiding like the coward we have all come to know him to be. He may try another desperate measure to try to make his mark, but his mark will never last. It will be blown away with his homemade bomb, that anyone could make if they googled it. He's average, sloppy and we know who he is. And now the only choice he has is to run, and not like those marathoners who ran for pride and health and charity, but because he's afraid, he's the one who has to fear now...not Boston.
The bombers left no mark of their own, the only mark left from this tragedy will be a heart shaped mark that has been floating around facebook in support of Boston. The memory of the victims and the heroes. Because in the face of tragedy, the one thing this country is good at is rallying and the biggest mark that comes out of uniting together is not fear, but rather the mark of love.
We love you Boston and know you will stay strong.
