Different ways of coping

[reynardo]

I'm having a little trouble getting my head around something.

When the Oklahoma bombing happened, one of the internet's craft areas made a quilt and people sent in squares. They were hand-cross-stitched or hand-patched-and-sewn, and the theme was love, peace and forgiveness. Each person found the making of the square a healing process. This made a lot of sense to me.

The one that's being planned now is all "Something patriotic, like the flag or an eagle. If you're from another country, please send one of your own flag."

It just doesn't have the same feel to it. It doesn't feel like it'll be as peaceful or healing.
Somehow, I don't feel at all inspired to join it.

Comments

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

People over here are wearing the flag rather as you or I would wear a black armband. I think it's more an expression of solidarity than anything.

[drzero.livejournal.com]

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<With a nod to Lederhosen's view on why the flag is being shown. Habit makes me a little worried of the display, but at the same time, these are different circumstances.>

I don't wish to sound inflammatory but here goes, I've seen enough expressions of regret in the middle east that I would like to see the reaction upon someone sending a Pakistani or Palestinian flag. So far, the most moving response to the dire act on Tuesday that I saw from a world leader was Yasser Arafat's. I include Pakistan because they are pretty much caught between the US on policy and Afghanistan on borderline. I'm not sure where I'm going with this response, just that it's worried me that lines can be drawn easily between Us and Them and this, to my mind, makes war easier to face as an option. There are, however, reasonable human beings on both sides who want the aggression to stop from both sides. Bleh, I'll stop ranting now, I hope I have gotten my point across.