Thoughts of London

Originally, this post was to be about congratulating London on its Olympic bid. How fitting, at least to an Anglophile like me, that in the Bicentenary of Trafalgar, the British were once again victorious over the French and held their Olympic celebration in Trafalgar Square. How the highest degree of ridicule was in order for Jacques Chirac and his Parisian loss -- think mad "foot-in-mouth" disease after his slap at British farming: its effects include insulting a competitor (see London) and losing a bid.

But that all changed after the attacks on 7/7.

I don't know about any of you, but the London bombings hit especially close to home. I studied there for a semester back in the mid-nineties, not far from Russell Square. As discussed on my website, I traveled in the UK for a week in March studying Arthurian Legend. I used London as a hub and routinely went through Kings Cross station. Thursday morning unfolded with a normal household routine, until I gasped with horror at the images and reports originating from the scene of the London bombings. Glued to the television screen for most of the day, even now I am at a loss for words to describe the gut-wrenching feeling I experienced watching the carnage. I realized very quickly that just a few months ago, I too, could have been one of the bloodied and bandaged passengers emerging from the Underground -- or even worse, a grim statistic of the death toll.

On a day of such celebration for the Olympic bid win, and with the world leaders gathered in Scotland for the G8 summit, working on issues like aid to Africa and a cleaner environment, it is laid forth in stark reality the reminder those of us who live under the freedoms provided by our Western Society governments must remember: Live your life but be vigilant.

It is with heartfelt admiration to read the reports of Londoners regrouping and stepping back onto their buses and Underground trains. 9/11 and 7/7 shall forever be intertwined for many of us, and therefore I have added the UK flag next to the US flag in a show of respect and support.