Lessons in being Objective

I guess this fits in here best...feel free to move it to another area if it fits somewhere else better, lol.

I'm not sure if any of you are following the developments in the Boston Bombing but I would encourage people to look into how this is panning out, because it shows just how far we have come since the 9-11 attacks. I'm not sure how many of you remember the events following the plane crashes, but it didn't take long before we were accusing people left and right of being the terrorists. Today, as I watch CNN, I notice that no one is making leaps yet. I also notice that no one is jumping to link the Ricin Letters to the bombings It's actually quite comforting to know that my (United States) government and media are both doing their job to ensure accurate information makes it to the public in the midst of all this chaos- rather than adding to it the way it did in 2001.

Anyways, I don't want to be the only one talking in this thread, so I'm curious- what sorts of lessons do you feel you can learn from the current on-going investigation into the Boston Bombing and Ricin Letters?

Props to those who ran toward the blast area...

Mad, mad props...

Agreed Jestor...

I focused on that in my service/sermon that occurred a few hours after the bombings...

I watched the footage, and the biggest thing that struck me was that whilst most people ran away (and no disrespect meant to them, as it's a natural reaction) many people immediately ran towards the bombs, with no regard for their own personal safety and clearly only thinking of saving others...

You don't usually get to see such clear video footage of life or death events, and people making these split-second decisions - I found it very humbling.

There were also reports of exhausted marathon runners who had just run 26 continuous miles crossing the finish line and continuing to run straight to the hospital, to give blood...

Again, no thought for themselves, only for doing what they could to help...

All of us have it within us to react bravely in these horrible situations. It is only in trusting yourself, and loving yourself, that you can share your compassion for others.

I'm friends with a couple of people from middle eastern countries, after the 911 attacks one of them was continually harassed, and his family was threatened...in the 15 years I've known him I never once thought to ask where he came from, because it didn't matter to me...he's a great person, very generous, he goes out of his way to help people...I only recently learned that he's of saudi decent...it still doesn't matter where he's from...

The most recent friend I've made talks about all sorts of things with me...gun control(he's pro gun and has a concealed carry license) and when the boston event happened the first thing he asked me was if they had caught the culprit, since then he's always asking me for updates (he works in a store all day)...

I live in a florida county known for racism so I've seen plenty of it over the years...humanity is capable of great courage and great cowardice...it's times like these when we see both...I've rambled a bit now....