Boston Marathon Explosions

Today is one of those days where I do not know what to tell my 9 year old daughter what everyone is talking about. I can explain to her what happened. I can explain to her that towards the end of the Boston Marathon, two bombs exploded and hurt many people. I can explain to her that (as of 11:30pm) 3 people have died and that one of the dead is about her age. I can explain to her that first responders were on the scene almost immediately and were able to help the people that were hurt in the explosion. But what I cannot explain to her is why this happened. I have no words to convey to her what the person, or people that did this were thinking. When she asks why, I cannot begin to explain.

We need to understand that some things in this world do not make sense. Actions by irrational people cannot be explained, especially to a nine year old. Most people are rational. Most people cannot allow their minds to work like criminals. In the next few days and weeks, the media will ask the question why. Why would someone do this? Why would they kill and injure people? Was is a political statement? Was it a way to prove a point? The problem with questions like this is we are asking rational questions about an irrational person. More than likely, those behind this were not in the proper frame of mind. They probably do not care about the well being of others and moreover they more than likely do not feel bad for what they did. Rational thought dictates that the person is capable of emotions. Emotions are one of the miracles that separates us from the animals. People who commit crimes like this are monsters incapable of feeling emotions. This is a major reason why we may never know why this act was committed. Irrational thought has spurred the most recent atrocities in the United States.

All we can hope for is that the monster(s) responsible for the events of today are brought to justice like the President promised us today. We should all take a moment to say a little prayer for those who were lost and those fighting for their lives. Keep their families in your hearts as well. The beautiful this about sports is it offers us a break from the real world. Sports will always be there for us. Those who were lost today were fans of sports. We should remember them the next time we go to a sporting event. As P.T. Barnum was prone to say, "The Show Must Go On."