I would have some better thoughts

But I really don't. I'm have long tired of watching orgies of patriotic fervor that have little to do with advancing human compassion and social or societal concerns. Yay Flag. Yay New York. And so on. Nationalism, or its relative tribalism, is a poor substitute for humanity and decency.

I am reminded of things like hundreds of firefighters and even ordinary people running into a building that is on fire and helping others escape with their lives.

And not of a modest few maniacs who set the building ablaze through their indecent work.

The reason I'm reminded of those things is that they're a lot easier to remember. Maniacs are always out there, or at least naturally on the news. Kindness isn't as easy to find. The things that stick out as "different" about something are easier to remember. So. When a building is blown up. I remembered what was different. It was not that the building was blown up. It was not that people died. These were terrible things. But not memorable things. They're not stories you'd want to tell to people to inspire them and fill them with hope for the species. They're nightmares for the people who lived through them. What sustains those people, and what often sustains me, is other memories entirely.

Wisps of hope contained in a glowering cloud of smoke and chaos.