Trying to come to terms with the tragedy in Boston

I’ve had a really hard time coming to terms with the tragedy in Boston. In fact, I have been pretty down since I heard the news. Being away from the western world, news from home comes in at weird hours. As a runner myself, and a huge fan of professional running, I had actually planned to hit an Internet café on Monday morning my time to pull up results and see how the race went down, as well as see if any of my friends from Boulder, Colorado had a good day. Though I was excited to see some solid results come from my American counterparts, the jubilation that should follow finishing a marathon was stolen by the sorrow of another senseless act of terrorism.

As we all known by this point, three eople died during explosions at the Boston Marathon. Hundreds of people were hospitalized, both competitors and spectators alike, and all the madness was done at the hands of two young terrorists who immigrated to the U.S. from Chechnya. While a motive hasn’t come out, the fact is, one of the biggest two-day sporting events on U.S. soil, which encompasses and includes competitors for around the globe, was destroyed by an act of violence. The death toll may be small, but the terror and devastation caused is monumental.

On of the most striking images from the day’s horror is the main image found on the BBC. As seen in the link, the image of the bomb beginning to erupt not only occurs behind the innocent fans cheering in runners attempting to accomplish a great feat, it shows the blast occurring behind flags from all over the world. This race, though many may not realize, is a symbol of hope and unity between people from all over the world. Just like all its major marathon counterparts (London, New York, Rotterdam, etc.) the Boston Marathon brings runners from all over the world. This senseless act didn’t only target Americans; it targeted runners, athletes, fans and families from all over the world.

What makes a target like this so overwhelmingly disgusting is that, whether or not people like to admit it, sports are one of the best mediums for peace around the world. When you look at events like the Olympics, the World Cup, or even the X-Games, you see events that take away the pretenses that leave us separated from one another.

What comes to play is watching two people competing on the same level. While one may come from one background which differs from their opponent, none of this matters. In the realm of competition, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are from; all that matters is who came out the strongest to compete that day. After the fact, though there may be hard feelings or heartbreak, both competitors shake hands and know that they are united through a common bond. Race, religion and region don’t matter. Sports are one of the true reaming unifiers that transcend borders around the globe.

The fact is, beyond just massive worldwide competitions, sports in general are a universal unifier. Take a look at the U.S. State Department website and you’ll see an entire branch of the bureau is dedicated to “sports diplomacy.” People may be separated by skin color, faith, or place of birth, but even if they can’t communicate through words, they can communicate through activity. They can communicate through sport. The action of playing a game that both people know and love defeats prejudice, racism and hatred. Sports breaks boundaries that society has created.

While I don’t have an overarching conclusion, the fact is, targeting an event that is supposed to be peaceful will always sting more than violence elsewhere. Terrible things happen all the time. While there were other acts of violence, as well as natural disasters, which claimed lives last week, Boston stood out. All I know is that for me and many around the world, sports are a way to bring people of different communities together. It is a worldwide language that has the ability to unite people from every inch of the globe, and trying to destroy this act of peace is horrific. I pray that the London Marathon this weekend goes off without a hitch, and that senseless acts of violence become a thing of the past.

Photos courtesy of Wordpress and the BBC