Shining Path

strange as it may seem
paris was calm this morning
these tracks even more

There is an incredible discrepancy between what happens in the world at the moment and what I live; of course I do have my minor worries, but they amount to nothing in the face of the atrocities committed the world over.

And yes, I'll say it again: what happened yesterday in Brussels has touched me that little bit more than what happened in Turkey or Mali recently. Whether it's because the media coverage has been more (much more) important (I don't watch TV, so at least I avoid so called 24-hour coverage where reporters get on screen all the time to say they have nothing more to report than five minutes before - how that makes me cringe!), or because I can simply relate more to the situation, because I've visited the places or can imagine them well because they resemble what I experience every day, I can't say. I sympathise with victims of all violent deaths, but my guts are wrung a little bit more - and I empathise - with situations I imagine I could find myself in. I realise the difference is born of ignorance - it's just because I've never been in Ankara or Istanbul or Bamako I can't relate, and I would probably feel as much if I knew these cities (well, I've never been to Brussels either, but I know Belgium quite well). Intellectually, I relate. But I think it's a very human thing to feel more for what's closer to you.

Oh and I know the "Je suis" motto/meme solves nothing. It was a gut feeling too, though one with a twist as far as what I posted yesterday was concerned, as it reflected my feeling about the global drama, and no claims to being someone/something else than what I am. A human being, feeling a bit crushed.

Romanian meal tonight, with Damien and Xavier