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Dec. 29th, 2004 01:14 amAs the death toll in Asia spirals, and as people start trying to make sense of that number by tring to think of it as a city of comparable size, I'm reminded of one of the speeches made at one of New York's 9/11 memorials in 2001.
A Rabbi noted that the important number wasn't if 6,000 people died or 5,000 people died or 3,000 people died.
The important number is 1.
3,000 people didn't die, 1 person died 3,000 times.
For myself, it doesn't lessen the horror -- and it's not intended to. I can't and I wouldn't if I could. But it does put what happened into very immediate and real terms for me.
A Rabbi noted that the important number wasn't if 6,000 people died or 5,000 people died or 3,000 people died.
The important number is 1.
3,000 people didn't die, 1 person died 3,000 times.
For myself, it doesn't lessen the horror -- and it's not intended to. I can't and I wouldn't if I could. But it does put what happened into very immediate and real terms for me.