Some tragic human days include:
11th of September 2001 (Nicknamed 9/11) when four airplanes were hijacked and over 2,700 people were killed in the USA
7th of October 2023 when over 1,200 Israelis were killed at a music festival in southern Israel by Hamas terrorists, and raped, and another several thousand were injured or kidnapped
15th of April 1865 when the 16th president of the USA, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC
20th of April 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado when two teens killed another 15 students on the birthday of Adolf Hitler.
7th of December 1941, Pearl Harbor Hawaii, Japan attacked the USA to spread the Second Wold War into that region. 2,300 Americans were killed and another 1,100 were wounded.
22nd of November, 1963. Three famous people died: Aldous Huxley, CS Lewis, and John Kennedy. The last was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Another fatal tragedy in US history.
24th of August, 1814. Washington, DC was burned!
And the list could continue in country after country, decade after decade, and you might wonder why I'm writing about all these.
July 1931, China Floods. 4 million died.
1900, Galveston, Texas. Another hurricane.
September 1887, Yellow River Flood, 2 million died.
After writing about all these and so many other tragic days, I began a list of glorious days, good days, and winning days, when people shouted, 'Hurray!' and pleasure finally trumped tragedy. But some were only personal when I graduated from university or received my Master's degree. Some were related to my family like when my kids stepped into adulthood, one by one, and stepped out of the shadows. My wife's graduation with her Master's degree; my son's first television appearance, my daughter's dancing in the Nutcracker, and the list continues but to be fair, they are all personal.
OK, so what about 'corporate' glorious days? Would that be the back-to-back Super Bowl victories of the Kansas City Chiefs? Or beyond sports, my political favourite won that mayoral or presidential race. Why is it so much easier to remember trauma than personal triumph?
Andrea Bonior wrote in Psychology Today last year (https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/friendship-20/202312/traumatic-memories-really-do-feel-different) "People who have experienced trauma have a different relationship to those memories than they would to memories of typical, everyday events. Even memories with negative emotional connotations, like sadness, still seem to be in a different category than memories of trauma—where shock and helplessness force the body into an extreme threat response. The intrusion that comes with re-experiencing traumatic memories often involves the entire body and can send people into devastating cycles of flashbacks, nightmares, and even dissociative states."
Bonior cites recent studies and concludes: "These memories are perhaps less akin to how we think typically of recalling an experience and instead are more like reliving that experience. Trauma therapists and trauma survivors have long conceptualized trauma this way, as the body truly revisiting the experience, but to have actual scans of brain activity conveying the difference in these concrete ways is an important step forward."
Last night was 7 October here in Australia and I attended a commemorative service and vigil on the Gold Coast. The mayor spoke; the rabbi spoke; a Christian pastor spoke; and we sang some songs of peace. "Never again is now" was cited by at least two of the speakers and the spirit of the gathering was peaceful and supportive of the Jewish people.
Of course, one year ago in Israel, over 1,200 people were taken, slaughtered, raped, killed, and hundreds more were injured. Actually, all the people were injured as were most of the world's Jewish population. Tragedy launches the 'shock and helplessness' I felt again last night, which for many here in Australia is continuing.
We desperately long for peace. Or do we? As I sat in the crowd last night, listening to the powerful remarks by the mayor of the Gold Coast, I wondered if those who straddle the middle road are intent on real peace. The rabbi declared that the Greens are not interested in the environment, but are filled with hate. Many in the crowd agreed with those who oppose Penny Wong, our Foreign Minister, as she double talks about Israel and peace.
How can we proclaim peace at this time?
How will you proclaim peace?
Yes, tragedies are powerful, and PTSD is well documented. Can we find hope on 8 October? Can we find hope on 5 November? Can we find hope any day?
What will you do to make your world a better place?
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